Paranoia
by ALEO
Summary: A criminal’s attempt to throw Agent Don Eppes off his case threatens to send the agent down a dark path. 10 chapters, COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Numb3rs: Paranoia**

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward gained. All real places and organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however._

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**CHAPTER ONE **

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They had been right.

Charlie couldn't believe it but Don really was after him. Peering down from his perch atop a set of industrial storage shelves he watched as the man he'd thought was his brother, a man he'd thought cared for him, moved slowly by. The exposed gun in his hand was ugly and black and added to the sheer menace. Charlie shifted slightly, careful not to make any noise as he kept Don in view until he disappeared around the end of the section. In relief he lay flat, heart hammering in his chest as he struggled to reconcile what he had always thought to be the truth with this new reality.

_He wants to kill you._

_He's going to hunt you down like a dog._

It was all true. He'd railed against the voices, had fought when he'd been held down, had fought against the pain in his arm but their voices had been insistent, deafening. His world had crashed around him as fire raced through his veins. They were gone now but their voices remained, reminding him of this new truth. Reminding him of the horror that came with it.

_He'll get you unless you get him first._

Charlie finally moved. He knew no hiding spot was good enough, no one place would protect him from Don but he had to try to find a place of safety. Perched on top of the shelves he'd as good as treed himself but he'd had no option when he'd first heard Don calling for him. To anyone else it would have seemed like he was trying to save him but Charlie knew the truth now, knew it for what it really was. Don was taunting him, hiding his intention as he tried to lull him into a false sense of security. But Charlie could hear it now, could hear the way that somehow he even twisted his younger brother's name. The previously deeply hidden and disguised hatred was boiling over and staining the air around him as he called. It even followed him like a roiling black cloud as he moved.

"Charlie?" Don's hate filled voice floated towards him from all too close. "Where are you?"

Freezing again, Charlie was hidden now behind some boxes. He heard a scrape of feet and saw his supposedly protective older brother appear at the end of the row. Moving forward he continued to call out, saying one thing but meaning another, the gun up and ready to take him out.

"Charlie? They're gone, you can come out. It's safe."

Charlie couldn't believe the gall, the sheer barefaced lies his brother was using to get him to reveal himself. The others may have gone, the ones that had hurt him even as they told him the truth, but he was far from safe. They had left him here to be hunted, refusing to take him with them. He shrank back even further behind the concealing boxes. He wished he could be a mouse, could scurry away to safety into a safe, dark hole. He brushed his hands over his twitching whiskers and felt them melt away as the voices returned.

_He resents you._

_He hates you._

Don's feet rang against the concrete, each step sounding like a nail in a coffin. A coffin his brother wanted to put him into.

"Come on, Buddy. Where are you?"

_He's got a gun._

_He's going to use it. On you._

_He's not really your brother._

Some part of him still refused to accept the truth, years of habit insisting this wasn't right. Something wasn't right but his thoughts were confused and the voices too loud and insistent to be ignored. As Charlie moved out from behind the boxes and started working his way to the open roller door and possible safety away from his stalker he tried to figure how he was going to escape. Don was too well trained, would surely find him no matter where he went. Perhaps he could make it to India? Amita's family could hide him. They would have contacts. There were a lot of people in India. Don would never find him there, not amongst those millions.

"Charlie!" Don suddenly shouted in elation. "There you are. What? Hey!"

Startled out of his plans Charlie looked up to see Don only a few yards away staring at him. As the other took a threatening pace forward and started to reach out a clawed hand he bolted, terror lending his feet speed he'd never had before. Don continued to shout but he made it around the next corner and then the next, driven away from the roller door and the beckoning sunlight. Panting harshly he went to ground again even as he knew it for a mistake.

_He's going to find you._

_You can't escape him._

Don found the right aisle and started making his way down it, gun swinging from side to side as he searched for his quarry. Holding his breath Charlie once again became the mouse, silent in concealment as the cat moved by, tail swishing in agitation. The air was still black with hatred, an aura that revealed Don's feelings for him.

Unable to hold still as the darkness rolled over him Charlie broke and ran. By some miracle Don didn't hear him but Charlie knew his luck wouldn't hold. Don had earned his reputation as always able to get his man. Whether it was back in his shadowy Fugitive Recovery days or now in Los Angeles, the FBI agent was always able to make the arrest and bring the offender down. This was different though, he knew Don wasn't going to arrest him. Don was going to kill him.

_You know what you have to do._

Finding a new place to hole up he worked to control his breathing. He had to think, he couldn't do that when he couldn't even breathe. Despite the irony he had to control himself, had to remember the lessons learnt over the years at the FBI via osmosis, had to remember how to protect himself.

_You have to get him first._

He replayed the voice in his mind, repeating the sensible advice. It was the only option he was starting to realise, an option he'd been trying to avoid as some lingering doubt had remained. The doubt was gone now, the voices proven right. As he struggled to think a memory rose, there had been a lecture on basic tactics during that two day FBI course, it hadn't all been hands on training. If an opponent knew where you were and was set on taking you out, if you were unarmed and the options of fleeing or hiding were negated there was nothing left but to take the offensive. He was in that position now, he would have to fight. Several times now he'd hidden only to have Don find him all too easily. It was just a matter of time before it would be all over, his brilliant mind stilled forever by a slug of metal. There really was no choice. Looking up he started to climb, he needed every advantage he could get if this was going to work.

_Take him out before he kills you._

_It's the only way, kill him first._

This time as he shifted in concealment it was in anticipation. He had once again gone up, countless hours analysing data had given him the knowledge that a hunter rarely remembered to search for prey overhead. An attack from above would give him the best chance of negating his brother's years of training and skill. No longer the mouse he would be like a hawk, his talons soon to tear into the cat. His hands flexed as he imagined the feel of his talons sinking into flesh, drawing blood as his prey struggled. He settled his feathers, the pinions lying neatly in place ready to spread and carry him out above his prey before snapping back against his body and directing him downwards in his deadly stoop.

As he'd both hoped and, in truth, feared, Don all too quickly appeared in the passage beneath him. The hunter was moving slowly, no longer calling out as he went, the now stealthy approach final confirmation of his dark intentions. The black cloud around him was denser than ever but not so dense that Charlie couldn't see when his time had come. Don had moved by directly beneath him, was now moving away and would not see the danger descending from both above and behind him.

The impact was terrific. He thought he heard a snap as his arm connected with Don's right shoulder but felt no pain, he was not the one hurt. Charlie's dangerous prey was driven downwards beneath his falling body. There was a surge of elation as Don's cry of pain and surprise gave way to a breathless grunt as the air was driven from his lungs as they both hit the ground. The elation was replaced with deadly focus an instant later as there was the sound of a gunshot. Don had tried to shoot him, it could mean nothing else. Charlie reached forwards for the outstretched arm holding the weapon but changed tactics as he felt Don buck beneath him. Balling up both of his hands into fists he ruthlessly drove them time and again into the body beneath him. The struggles only increased until one blow struck the back of Don's head driving it forward into the concrete with a satisfying crack. Don stilled and Charlie slumped over him, panting after the exertion.

The faint groan had him moving again, he wasn't safe yet. Scrambling up he saw Don start to move, drawing his arms and legs in as if to rise onto all fours. After all that he had just done he still hadn't subdued his murderous brother.

_He's going to kill you._

"No!" Charlie shouted at the voice. He wouldn't let it happen, he didn't want to die. Don had totally flipped out, he had no choice but to fight for his life, to take the fight to the ultimate conclusion. Whatever advantage he gave, Don would take. Moving in quickly he drew back his right foot and kicked with all his strength. The toe of his shoe struck Don squarely on the ribs causing his arms and legs to skitter out from under him on the smooth concrete. Knowing he had to be sure Charlie drew his leg back and let fly again. He heard another crack this time and the accompanying shout of pain allowed him to understand he'd done some damage. The shout also told him that Don was still awake, still aware. He was also still armed.

Reaching out quickly Charlie got his hands around the gun and wrenched upwards, roughly twisting Don's hand backwards eliciting another cry of pain. Staggering back he took a firm hold of his prize and pointed the weapon that had been intended for use on him back at his treacherous brother.

_You have to do it._

_Pull the trigger._

_Kill him._

He almost gave in, the trigger was firm under his finger and he knew it wouldn't take much. Charlie didn't know why he hesitated, why he let the man who wanted to kill him continue breathing. As he stood frozen he watched as Don moved, slowly rolling to his side and then his back before drawing his right arm back against his body to cradle the injured wrist and support the shoulder. Finally his brother looked up and the momentary concern Charlie had felt at Don's obvious pain disappeared the moment he saw the face twist to hate. The mouth opened and Charlie heard the false words but knew their true meaning.

"Charlie?" Don sounded surprised but it was all an illusion. "What are you doing?"

_I'm going to kill you. Take the gun away and put a bullet in your brain._

"No. I won't let you." Charlie responded. There was no choice, he had to shoot . He brought the gun up slightly to improve his aim but his finger still wouldn't tighten on the trigger.

"Charlie, it's me." The voice continued, the calming tone an attempt to lull him into a false sense of security. "Please Buddy, what's wrong?"

_Runt. You've held me back my whole life. I'm going to kill you. _

"I'll shoot. I will!" Charlie threatened. Why his finger wouldn't cooperate he didn't know. He had to do this, it was the only way.

"Easy, Buddy. Take it easy." Don's hands shifted, the right only slightly but he now held both palm upwards as if in surrender. "Stay calm. Let me help you."

_Going to get up and splatter your brains all over the ground._

"No! Stay down, don't move!" Charlie ordered, stepping forward and pointing the gun downwards at Don's face. He felt a kind of satisfaction as he saw his brother subside, saw the pain on the face and heard the gasping breath. He'd done that, he'd hurt his brother before his brother could hurt him. Now he just had to finish it.

"Oh, Charlie. What have they done to you?"

_I can't let you live now that you know. _

_He knows you know. Kill him._

"I know the truth, Don. I know what you want. I'm not going to let you do it." Charlie didn't know why he was explaining this, why he was letting him know that the truth was out. The voices were back and all too clear, the words that Don himself was saying removed all disbelief. He grit his teeth and set his finger to squeeze.

"Do what, Buddy? Talk to me, please. Tell me how I can help you."

_That's it fool, keep talking. I'll get you yet. You're going to bleed all over this floor._

Sweat beaded on his skin as he willed his finger to move but still nothing happened, the trigger remained firm and motionless. He knew it wasn't the gun, there was no safety that was preventing it from firing and he'd already taken up the trigger slack, it was him that was failing. Despite his efforts his finger refused to move, would not move that final fraction of an inch that would finish this.

"Please, Charlie. Don't do this, you don't want to do this."

_Weak! You have to die, Charlie. Too weak to let live._

Charlie thought he felt movement at long last, the battle of wills between his finger and his need to survive seemed to be turning. The trigger moved ever so slightly, just a little more and it would be done. He would be safe.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Numb3rs: Paranoia**

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward gained. All real places and organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however._

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**CHAPTER TWO**

Sudden shouts from the building entrance had him looking away from the danger at his feet. The swirl of black that surrounded the prone man grew thicker as others arrived, potential reinforcements.

"Careful, Charlie's lost it!" Don shouted. He made an odd groaning sound before he added to his threat, still saying one thing and meaning something else entirely. "He's armed."

_They're coming to help me kill you._

Charlie started to swing the gun up as his brother's team arrived at the run. They skidded to a halt at the end of the passage before advancing slowly. Seeing that they really were his brother's team he stared at them closely but could see no evil black cloud surrounding them, perhaps they weren't reinforcements for his brother at all. The voices that had guided him this far remained silent, not issuing any warnings at this new potential threat so that meant they were here to help him, not his brother. Charlie shook his head, swinging the gun back to its original target. Don was trying to confuse him, trying to make him divert his attention away so he could strike.

"No." Charlie denied. "They would never hurt me. Not like you."

"Don what's going on?" David demanded.

"He's flipped. They've given him something. He thinks I want to hurt him." Don said quickly.

_Hurt you? Ha, that's a laugh. Going to kill you Charlie-boy, gonna make you pay._

"I won't let you." Charlie shouted back, waving the gun in emphasis and stepping slightly closer, there was no way he could miss if he could make his finger cooperate. The dark eyes tracked the weapon's path, fear now amid the hatred. Charlie felt another surge of elation at that, further proof that the freshly arrived agents weren't here to save Don. He wouldn't be afraid if they were here to help him. "They won't let you kill me."

"Charlie?" A female voice called gently.

Risking everything Charlie glanced at Nikki, responding to her tone. "He chased me. He wants to kill me. I have to kill him first."

"Charlie, put the gun down." Her tone had hardened, was flatter and commanding.

_Kill him, kill him now._

"See? They're not going to help you." Charlie said victoriously, steadying his aim. Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement and glanced around to see David and Colby had raised their guns. They were going to help him. They would be able to pull their triggers, had trained until it was easy. The guns were pointed at him but he knew that was just to show him that they were armed, that they were ready. "They'll shoot you for me."

"Charlie, drop the gun. Drop it now!" David ordered.

_We'll kill him for you, Charlie._

"Yes." Charlie responded in relief. They would do it for him. It was so hard, it shouldn't be hard but he couldn't do it. He needed their help. They had to hurry, the dark cloud around his brother was deepening, taking on red sparks. Even injured and lying on his back on the floor Don was about to try something. "Kill him. Hurry."

"Charlie," David started.

"No, wait." Nikki interrupted. "Follow my lead."

_Let me do it, I want to kill him._

Finally they took action. Charlie nearly fainted in relief as Nikki stepped up, her gun aimed down at her boss. "Not going to let you kill Charlie." She shouted.

Moving across in front of him she blocked his view, blocked his aim but he didn't care as he stumbled back a few step out of the way. All that mattered was that unlike him they would be able to shoot, they would keep him safe just as they had done in the past. He took another step back when David and Colby followed Nikki to stand between him and his murderous brother. A moment later he heard Don yell out in fear before a single shot silenced him.

In slow motion Charlie collapsed to the floor, unable to stay upright any longer. Somehow the gun reached the floor first, clattering as it struck and bounced. His attention was drawn to it by the sound as it spun slowly and he stared at the lethal weapon, the weapon his brother had been going to use on him. The weapon he'd been unable to use in his own defence once he'd wrested it away. He didn't need it now, Don was dead, he was safe.

"Charlie?"

_I did it for you._

He looked up to see Nikki approaching him, focused on her face he didn't notice her foot sweeping Don's gun aside and out of his reach.

"Thank-you." He breathed. "I couldn't do it."

"That's okay, Charlie. You're safe now."

He was safe now. It was all okay. He accepted her offered hand and pushed himself back up to his feet. He couldn't help but look back towards the still body and noted that the black cloud had gone. There was an unexpected surge of grief but he pushed it away. He would not feel that for the man who had hunted him down and tried to kill him.

The sudden attack caught him completely by surprise. David and Colby came at him from both sides at once as Nikki tightened her grip on his hand and snapped her cuffs around his wrist. They were in on it, they wanted to kill him as well!

"No! Not you too!" It wasn't fair, the voices hadn't warned him about them.

Charlie struggled for all he was worth, if he could get free he could get the gun and finish them all. He realised now that it had been kicked aside but he could still see it, could still try to reach it if he could get free. David's grip slipped and he pulled one arm free. He let fly a punch feeling it connect with David's head. The man he'd thought a friend stumbled back but recovered all too quickly and seized Charlie's arm as he tried to strike again. It was more proof, something had infected the whole FBI, he had to survive this to warn everyone.

"Damn, he's strong!" David grunted. "Get him down."

_Going to kill you too. Going to smash you._

With the three of them on him he felt himself falling as they took him to the floor. He bucked and twisted but outnumbered he was soon subdued, his hands chained behind him. Kicking out didn't help, his ankles were grabbed and a second set of cuffs restrained him. Flopping around on the floor like a landed fish he kept fighting, he wouldn't let them kill him. A sudden weight descended on his back, holding him down and he looked back to see who was going to kill him. It was Colby. He'd saved Colby's life once, surely he couldn't do this.

"Please don't kill me!"

"It's alright, Charlie. EMTs are on the way, just hang in there." The voice was pitched to be soothing but Charlie knew what Colby was really saying.

_We're going to have fun with you._

"No!" Charlie bucked but Colby's weight didn't shift.

"Hey, take it easy."

Charlie froze at the rough voice. It wasn't possible. Twisting his head he looked over and saw his dead brother's spectre rise from the ground. The spectre looked amazingly solid, almost like Don had come back to life but that couldn't have happened, Nikki had killed him. Nikki had saved him from Don before turning against him.

"He's strong, Don. We're trying not to hurt him."

_We're going to take our time._

"I know, just easy, okay?" Don's dead voice said, sounding as if he was struggling to breathe properly. "He doesn't know what he's doing."

_You made Nikki kill me. Not going to let you get away with that little brother. She's mine now, they are all mine._

The spectre approached and looked down at him, the face gloating in the power he held over the agents that Charlie had trusted to save him, that had tried to save him. Now they were lost too, caught up in whatever evil had turned his brother against him.

In terror Charlie could only fight. He didn't want to die, didn't want to be killed. It wasn't just for himself any more, he had to warn everyone else of this deadly corruption. Bucking and twisting he almost threw the agent off his back until a second weight descended on him. Twisting his head the other way he saw David helping Colby press him to the floor. Turning the other way he saw Nikki standing over him looking down, an evil grin of satisfaction on her face. The dark cloud that had hovered around his dead brother now swirled around her, tendrils stretching out to caress the two men under her thrall. Don's spectre loomed up behind her, supervising his minion as she did his will. In panic Charlie continued to strain until he slumped down, exhausted and knowing it was over. They had him and he was going to die. Strange colours twisted behind his eyes as he refused to look his death in the face.

He was convinced that they were going to crush him to death as they didn't let their weight up for what felt like forever. Each breath became harder and he had to struggle to get enough air but then they unaccountably shifted letting his lungs work easier. Abruptly the weight was gone altogether and he erupted at the chance. Hands grabbed at him as he once again flopped around on the floor unable to stand or kick with his ankles chained together. He pushed and shoved with his legs as best he could as he was lifted and placed onto a soft but rattling surface. He tried to roll but the hands stopped him. There were new faces now, two men wearing different clothes who were working to strap him down.

It was an execution table! Charlie screamed in terror, certain now they were going to shove a needle into his arm and watch laughing as his body became paralysed and his breathing failed.

"Charlie, please." Don's dead voice broke before it continued. "It's okay, Buddy."

_I'm going to inject you myself._

The spectre's left hand came up and stroked across his head, an evil benediction. Charlie flinched away and saw the expression twist on his dead brother's face. The hand returned and Charlie was now frozen in terror, unable to move, barely able to breathe as he was wheeled across the floor, the hand holding in place against his shoulder. It was a promise of his impending murder, his very own angel of death wearing his brother's body.

Charlie recognised the general shape of an ambulance as he was loaded onboard. That's where the resemblance ended though, instead of medical equipment all he could see were instruments of torture. There were knives and clubs and other things he couldn't even guess at. Some of them were attached to him despite his screams and struggles and he waited for the pain. Each beep and tone caused him to twitch as he waited for the torture to start. Nothing happened with each tone passing harmlessly but he knew they were just drawing it out, waiting for him to relax before setting the machine to hurt him.

To that end the new men left him alone as they fawned over Don's spectre. They wrapped him in special white cloth that would only strengthen him and bring him back to life so that he was once again able to kill him directly without the need of a proxy. Charlie shouted and ranted, tried to tell the new ones that he didn't want to die, that Don was evil and had infected the whole FBI. The world was in danger, no one understood but him, no one knew the truth but him, they had to listen!

The ride ended in a place that once again looked like one thing but was in reality something else. The signs over the door even said 'Hospital' and 'Accident and Emergency' as he was wheeled through but he knew better. Once again Don's spectre was walking beside him, keeping a threatening hand on his shoulder. His skin crawled at the touch but there was nothing he could do to avoid it, the tight straps that cut cruelly into his body prevented him from moving. He shouted and saw faces turning towards him, faces that soon looked away when they saw Don's spectre, saw the power in the stare he returned. Eventually they stopped wheeling him along and started to draw a curtain around him, isolating him from the rest of the world. They wouldn't let his secret out, no one would know what was happening to him, to the FBI, what would soon happen to everyone else.

They'd made a mistake, the curtain not all the way across and he saw Don's spectre talking to a man with a black snake draped around his neck, the silver head resting against his chest over his heart. A sudden tendril of darkness appeared and Charlie saw Nikki walk in, flanked once more by her thralls David and Colby. The new tendril touched the man talking to Don and changed him. Charlie knew he was expected to think the man was a doctor but he knew better, knew for sure when the man turned and came towards him as his eyes glowed black. He was under Nikki's power, her power derived from Don's spectre itself. Charlie shrank back into the foam beneath him as best he could, trying desperately to draw away from the man's touch as he worked over him. A light was shone in his eyes as a second hand pulled his eyelids up, giving Charlie the only chance he had. Snapping his teeth he flung his head upwards but the man was too quick, avoiding the bite that was Charlie's last avenue of defence.

The man turned and snapped an order at a woman who scurried off to return a moment later with the item Charlie had most been dreading. A needle.

"No! Please don't." Charlie begged even as he knew it was hopeless. "Please don't kill me. It's not real. They're not who they say they are!"

Completely uncaring of his pleas the needle slid into the muscle of his thigh and the plunger was immediately pressed down emptying the syringe's contents into his body. Every muscle in his body tensed as he made his final bid for escape causing the straps to creak and groan but they held. He felt the poison take hold as he tried to gasp for breath, for air that seemed suddenly too thin. The ceiling spun dizzyingly only to stop suddenly causing his heart and stomach to lurch. It spun again and there was nothing.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Numb3rs: Paranoia**

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward gained. All real places and organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however._

**CHAPTER THREE**

-100-1111-1110-

Barely able to contain his fury Don could only watch as his brother shouted and screamed in terror. He could only stand by helplessly as the struggles increased ten-fold as the sedative was injected and finally could only witness Charlie succumb and fall unconscious. There was one thought consuming him at the moment, the people who did this to his brother would be dead if he got his hands on them. He wanted desperately to get his hands on them.

"Boss?" Nikki said hesitantly. The anger surrounding him was palpable making her hesitant to intrude upon his thoughts as there was more than a hint of danger.

"Find them." He rasped out, not even looking at his people, he had eyes for only one man. Charlie grounded him and he was able to hold onto his honour and duty but only by a thread. His voice dropped to an even more dangerous growl. "Get them but don't let me near them."

"We'll get them, Don." David promised. He had a hand up as if to touch his boss on the shoulder in reassurance but he allowed it to drop knowing that it was the last thing Don wanted at the moment.

David saw the pinched expressions on Colby's and Nikki's faces as they nodded in agreement. They were angry just like he was but they couldn't match the depth of emotion that was rolling off Don in almost visible waves. In that moment David knew that Don was dangerously close to the edge, far closer than he'd ever got after Megan was taken. David knew that his was a man who right at that moment would give everything for revenge. While he felt no sympathy for those that had done this to his boss and Charlie he understood he was going to have to work to keep them safe from Don if they crossed paths once they were caught. A rebellious part of him wanted to fail in that duty but he wasn't going to allow that to happen. Don would be destroyed; the entire Eppes family would be destroyed if he let that happen.

"We won't stop until we do." David added. "Just look after your brother."

Nodding at the team David led them away, sparing a quick glance back as they went through the doors to see Don move forward as if in a kind of daze towards his unconscious brother.

Don didn't acknowledge David's response to his order, or see the team leave. His focus was on one thing only now that his team were on the hunt. Gingerly he moved forward, trying not to jar his broken ribs or shoulder, until he stood at his brother's side as the doctor resumed his examination. Charlie still moved slightly as the drugs resisted the sedative but the sedative was winning the battle as his movements became weaker and less frequent.

"I think you were right about the drugs." The man finally said. He twisted Charlie's right arm slightly against the restraint of the cuffs and showed the bruises inside the elbow. "Looks like he was injected with something, either several times or with more than one drug by someone that didn't much care how they did it."

Don nodded shortly, remembering all too clearly the phone call. "They told me they'd given him something."

"Did they tell you what?" The doctor asked hopefully, it would save a whole lot of lead time if they knew what they were working against.

"No."

"Alright, I'll get a full workup. Until then I think we'll keep him sedated and restrained." The doctor stepped back and nodded at some orderlies that had arrived with a special bed. This one was of sturdier construction than the standard hospital bed and was purpose fitted with heavy, padded leather straps. As the new gurney was wheeled in and the orderlies set to work transferring Charlie from the ambulance stretcher the Doctor gently led the agent aside. "You are able to sign the paperwork?"

Don's bandaged right wrist throbbed with pain and he couldn't lift his arm but he was able to hold a pen well enough to fill out and then sign the consent forms once he had a table to place his arm on. Every movement hurt but he drove himself on, Charlie's care urgent and more important than his own welfare. Interrupted briefly by an orderly chasing the keys to the handcuffs he painfully worked his way through the stack. When he got to the last form he hesitated, not sure if it was something he should really sign just yet. The implications of the form scared him far more than Charlie pointing his gun at him and working himself up to pulling the trigger. It was authorisation for Charlie to be taken into the mental health unit, to be held as a secure patient.

"He's not ill, Doctor." Don objected. He didn't want to do this to Charlie, for Charlie to have this stain on his history.

"At this stage, no." The doctor agreed then started to explain. "We don't know what he's been given, what the mix will do to him in the future. But that's not the reason for the form. The unit is better able to care for a violent patient."

Wincing against his headache Don shook his head at that. "He's not violent. He's drugged and frightened."

Doctors were known for their diplomacy and tact and this one was no different. He held up a placating hand and gave Don a moment before explaining his reasoning. "Agent Eppes, I understand he is your brother, but given what he has done to you, given the way he has presented here we have to treat him as if he is. At least until the drugs wear off or we can counter them. The staff up there are experienced at this type of problem, their unit doesn't just deal with the mentally ill. He needs the care they can give him. He needs the security of that unit for his own safety."

Looking at it all rationally he knew the doctor was right, they had no alternatives if they were to do the right thing by Charlie. However rational thought was difficult for him at the moment. Don's teeth creaked as he ground them together. He couldn't see the form in front of him, all he could see was red as his fist tightened around the pen and pain spiked through his wrist. Never in his life had he been so furious, so completely ready to murder. He found himself absurdly grateful that his gun was gone, held as evidence, if he'd still had it on him now he wasn't sure what he might have done, how his anger may have found an outlet. What these drug dealers had done-

"Don?"

The familiar voice cut through the haze and he somehow brought himself under some semblance of control. The relief that someone else could take on this responsibility washed over him like a brief shot of ice-water.

"Dad," Don started, barely holding his emotions in check as he swung abruptly from anger towards tears. "Dad, they want me to commit Charlie."

Alan stepped forward and introduced himself to the doctor. "Alan Eppes. These boys are my sons. Where's Charlie?" He'd seen Donny was hurt but he knew where the priority lay at the moment, experience had long since taught him that his eldest boy would not accept help until his brother was seen to.

"We have him sedated," The doctor started, leading Alan over to the alcove where the orderlies had finished their task and a deeply unconscious Charlie now lay completely still in restraints.

Don let his father go, he couldn't bring himself to hear it again just as he couldn't bring himself to sign the form. He knew he wasn't the one for this, Charlie needed a cool head on his side. Don was so angry he could barely think straight let alone sign such a crucial document. He sighed then staggered as his broken rib stabbed at him when he tried to take a full breath back in. That set off the pain in his shoulder and then his back from where he'd been pummelled but he managed to bite off the moan that threatened to escape. He'd been beaten before but Charlie had really done a number on him. The drugs had given his younger brother incredible strength to go with the paranoia, strength that had made restraining him difficult, needing all three of his agents to manage it. Alone he'd had no chance and had borne the brunt of his brother's drug-fuelled frenzy, having been the target of Charlie's fear. That was not the worst of it, the taunting phone call still rang in his ears reminding him that this was something that had been maliciously planned.

An attentive nurse noticed his discomfort and in a gentle but no-nonsense manner steered him over to an empty bed that already had his name written on the board above it. He was meant to be a patient but he'd had more important things to worry about than himself, now with their father here to look after Charlie he could allow the attention. The nurse got him up and helped support him as he lay back. This time a sound did escape him as his bruised back came into contact with the ER bed, the thin gel padding not nearly enough. Unfortunately his rib wouldn't allow him to lay any other way so he managed a pained smile at the nurse's concerned look and tried to relax his body. She had started taking a first round of observations by the time Alan appeared from behind the drawn curtain around Charlie.

Don watched almost numbly as their father went to the desk and signed the final form. Alan quickly leafed through the other forms before handing them off to the waiting nurse at the counter. He stood for a moment, gathering himself before turning away and coming across to see his eldest.

"Donny, it will be alright." His father reassured him, a hand resting on his left shoulder a moment or so later. "The doctor explained, the paper doesn't commit Charlie, just admits him to the ward."

"But it said-" Don objected.

"That part's been struck through. He's not being committed, just treated. They'll give him the best of care." Alan explained. That's why he'd checked the other forms his eldest had signed, for Don to have missed that he couldn't be thinking too clearly. Everything else had been in order thankfully. Desperate to know how his boys came to be in this state he opened his mouth to ask but quickly changed his mind as he saw the pain Don was trying hard to conceal. David had told him both of his sons had been attacked, that was painfully obvious now but the details would have to wait. The doctor appeared at his shoulder. "We need to get you looked at now, son. Then you can tell me what this is about."

"But-" Don objected again.

"Son, let the doctor work."

Given little option and having already surrendered to his father's guidance he settled back and answered the doctor's questions. He saw his father twitch as he gasped in pain at the doctor's probing hands but otherwise there was no reaction beyond the sympathy and worry that was plain on his face. The separation as he was wheeled to X-ray was almost physically painful and part of him wanted to let go, to slide into comforting darkness but his anger sustained him throughout the process and he was soon returned to the ER. A nurse was waiting and he had to force himself not to shy away from the needle she held, he knew it would help him but he couldn't help thinking about what needles had done to his brother. He took as deep a breath as he dared when she finished and tried to relax, the pain reliever would kick in soon.

Alan couldn't wait any longer, stepping up to stand next to him as the nurse left. "Alright, Don. Tell me what happened."

Don looked to the now vacant alcove that had held his younger brother, as he'd been wheeled back he'd seen the orderlies taking Charlie away. A surge of emotion caught him and it took him a moment to gather his thoughts enough to answer his father's question.

"He tried to kill me." Don started, his throat closing and making the words difficult to say. "Charlie was going to kill me."

Alan's eyes widened in shock. He'd not expected anything like what Don was telling him but he knew it had to be true if he was saying it. This was far more than just his sons being attacked as David had briefly explained on the phone. Now he struggled to form words. "What? Why? How?"

"They took him. Called me to come get him." It was easier in short, clipped, sentences. "They drugged him, made him paranoid. He flipped out."

"Whoa, there." Alan had got himself back under control after his initial shock and needed to slow his son down. The point form explanation may have worked for Don or his team but it didn't work for him. "Please, son. Tell me the full story. When did this happen? Who took him?"

.


	4. Chapter 4

**Numb3rs: Paranoia**

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward gained. All real places and organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however._

_

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_

**CHAPTER FOUR**

-100-1111-1110-

Don controlled himself and ordered his thoughts. He put himself back to a point in time less than two hours ago, remembering where he'd been when he'd received the call.

He'd been working on their current case, a Russian gang importing high-end exotic recreational drugs. To that end he'd just finished a meeting with an LAPD drug expert and was returning to the office when his cell rang.

"_Hello, Fed. I hope the LAPD were helpful."_

At the malevolent, gloating tone Don automatically froze, people didn't sound like that unless they were secure in their power. His mind clicked on the words and he glanced in his mirror searching for a tail, it seemed he was being followed and he didn't spot anything out of the ordinary but it would take time to be sure. He tried to place the lightly accented voice but failed. "Who is this?"

"_I've got someone here who would like to speak with you."_

The last thing he expected was the frightened voice that came on the line. _"Don?"_

"Charlie?" The reason for the unknown's man tone became all too clear. He had something that gave him all the power in the world over the agent. Don jerked the wheel and pulled across a lane of traffic to stop at the side of the road in a squeal of brakes. He ignored the horns and yells in his wake. "Where are you?"

There was a sudden yell of pain before the other voice returned in place of his brother's.

"_I've got your attention?"_

"You hurt him, so help me, I'll kill you." The words came out before he could stop them, handing the mysterious man everything he could want.

The man laughed at the threat. _"Good luck with that. We got your brother so easily, we could have gone for you instead."_

"Then come for me." Don snapped. "Or don't you have the balls for that?"

"_Poor little fed, afraid for baby brother."_ The man taunted as he enjoyed the agent's reaction. His voice took on a hardening edge. _"Well, you should be."_

In the background Don could hear Charlie calling out and clear sounds of a struggle. "Stop it!" In desperation he offered the only thing he could think of. "Tell me where you are and I'll come alone and unarmed. You can do whatever you want with me, just let him go."

"_It's too late for that now. I'll tell you where he is in a minute. You can come pick up the pieces."_

"No! Leave him alone." The sounds of the struggle eased but Charlie's voice was still clear, calling out in fear. "Tell me you want! Name it and I'll do it, just don't hurt him."

The man's voice was now cold. _"I've already told you to back off, you chose to ignore that."_

Suddenly Don knew the voice, they'd spoken briefly the day before. It had been another phone call, one that had lasted just seconds where the man had warned him off, told him to stop poking his nose into their business or suffer the consequences. Such threats were a dime a dozen in his job, he'd simply noted it, added it to the file to question the man on when they'd brought him in but that was it. This voice belonged to the leader of the Russian group they were working to bring down, the drugs they'd imported had already caused several deaths and others had suffered psychotic breaks.

"Yuri." How many Russians went by that name Don didn't know or care, it was the one this man was using.

"_Finally."_ The man responded. In the background Don could now hear voices murmuring repetitively but he couldn't make out the words. He could no longer hear Charlie's voice. _"I think we're about done, the drugs should kick in soon."_

"What have you given him?" Don demanded in intensifying fear. The group dealt in psychotics, dissociatives and hallucinogens, supplied in mixed combinations, far more dangerous than the usual backyard party drugs on the market. If they'd given any of those to Charlie he couldn't bear to think of the consequences.

"_Come alone."_ Yuri provided an address for a warehouse district nearby, his next words proving that he knew exactly where the agent was. _"It won't take you long to get here but you better hurry."_

As the line went dead Don was already peeling out from the curb, cutting back across traffic as he conducted an illegal U-turn. He lit up as he pressed the speed dial on his cell.

"_Sinclair."_

"Write this down." That was all the preamble he gave before rattling off the address. The sound of his siren would be more than enough to warn David that this was an emergency. "I'm on my way now. They've got Charlie and they want me."

"_Don, you can't-"_ David objected.

Don didn't hear the rest as he thumbed the red button hanging up on his agent, not interested in hearing David's objections. He knew them all, just as he knew he was walking into a trap but it didn't matter, none of it mattered. Charlie was at risk because of him, because he'd let him become involved once again in one of his cases.

It took ten long minutes, the longest ten minutes of his life but he finally screeched to a halt at the warehouse outside the main roller door that stood open in invitation. Switching his cell to silent he slid it into the holder on his belt only to feel it start vibrating. It had been ringing almost constantly since he'd hung up on David and sure enough, when he checked the display to be sure it wasn't an unknown number that would indicate it was the Russian, he saw David's name. He ignored this call as well as he strode towards the warehouse, the Russian wanted him, he was here.

Hesitating at the roller door he finally drew his gun from its holster, he really didn't know what he was walking into. If Charlie had somehow won his escape he needed to be prepared to defend himself and his brother. If not, it really made no difference if the gun was in his hand or the holster, it was equally useless and he would surrender it in a heartbeat if doing so would save Charlie's life. He moved on, entering the shadows and blinking to get his eyes to speed up their adjustment to the relative dimness of the cavernous interior of the warehouse.

There were rows and rows of heavy metal shelves rising a good six yards above the floor upon which were stacked boxes of all sizes containing who knew what goods. The warehouse seemed quiet, no activity which was unusual given the hour and the fact that it was open. Don slowed his steps looking about him cautiously. Finally he found what he was looking for, a scuff mark on the concrete where a shoe had caught and rubbed hard enough to leave a mark. He followed it and found a second such. Turning a corner he found evidence that he was in the right place.

There was a chair and a small table on which sat a number of discarded and obviously used syringes. A cut plastic tie of the kind becoming popular to be used as restraints lay on the floor beside the chair. Beside that was an all too familiar jacket. Charlie had been here.

"Charlie?" Don risked calling out. "Yuri?"

There was no reply and there was no sign of the Russians but he thought he heard a sound not far away in the otherwise too quiet space. Turning he headed that way, calling out again for his brother, the need to find him urgent before the drugs the Russian had forced on him took effect. The sooner he got Charlie to medical attention the better. He refused to allow himself to think of the other very possible scenarios, that Charlie was already dead or that the Russians had taken him away.

"Charlie?" Don called. "Where are you?"

There was no sign of him, or the Russians as he continued to move along the aisles. He heard another noise and changed direction slightly but there was nothing there when he arrived. He called out again but received no response. Sure now that someone was hiding he quickened his pace towards another faint scrape calling out again in reassurance in the hope that it was Charlie hiding from the Russians who had seemingly gone and left him behind. There was a flash of movement and he looked up to see Charlie staring back at him from a few yards away. Relief coursed through his system.

"Charlie, there you are." Don took a step forward, reaching out a hand to help his brother up. Charlie scuttled back before rising suddenly, an expression of fear on his face. Abruptly he turned and bolted towards the building entrance. "What? Hey!"

Don ran after him shocked by the way his brother had reacted like a startled rabbit. Charlie was afraid which was perfectly reasonable in the circumstances but not the degree of reaction he'd just had to him. The warehouse was not so dim that he couldn't recognise his own brother. That led Don to one conclusion, the drugs must have kicked in, warping his brother's perception. It was more urgent than ever that he find him.

He tracked the sound of his brother's running footsteps until they stopped two aisles over. He slowed as the sounds ceased so that he wouldn't miss the next clue to his brother's whereabouts. Hearing nothing he was totally startled when there was a heavy blow to his right shoulder and the bone snapped. Driven downwards by the weight that landed on his back he hit the ground hard. There was the sound of a shot and he realised that it had been his own gun going off as his hand had tightened in reflex, his finger moving of its own accord onto the trigger in reaction to the attack. The unaimed shot went harmlessly down the warehouse. Struggling for breath he determined that there was just the one attacker which gave him a chance.

Don tried to get the weight off his back, using his good arm and leg muscles to buck upwards and try to twist. Heavy impacts suddenly rained down across his back and shoulders, some of them painfully striking his kidneys in the process even as it seemed his entire back was being targeted. He fought harder but the weight on him refused to budge until he took a hit to the back of his head which drove him forwards. His skull cracked against the hard concrete and all the fight left him as he was conscious only of a loud ringing noise. As he regained some awareness he realised that the weight had finally left his back. He shifted, once again trying to get his limbs under him so he could get himself up off the floor to finally see his attacker. The identification came all too soon.

"No!" Charlie shouted from all too close.

Don started to turn his head, completely astonished that it was Charlie that had been beating on him but he didn't finish the move as he felt the kick to his side. Losing his balance he fell back to the floor but tried immediately to move again. A second kick put paid to that as at least one rib snapped causing him to cry out in pain. As he tried to draw enough breath to speak he felt his right hand being twisted back until his wrist was close to breaking as his gun was pulled free from his grasp. Already in pain Don couldn't help his reaction to this new trauma to his body as he struggled to process that it was Charlie doing this to him.

It took him a few seconds before he felt up to moving, until he was able to roll painfully onto his side and then quicker onto his back at the sharp spikes from his rib and shoulder. Using his left hand he got his right arm folded across his chest, supporting it and reducing the painful pull its weight caused. Finally he was able to open his eyes and look up to see what he feared, his brother standing over him. He had an even greater shock when he saw his gun being aimed down at him.

"Charlie?" Don started carefully, keeping his tone as neutral as he could. "What are you doing?"

Charlie's eyes grew wild in response to his words, the fearful expression intensified as his grip on the weapon tightened until his knuckles started to turn white. "No. I won't let you."

Don was confused but he could see Charlie was even more so. This reaction to the drugs was nothing he had expected, his brother had to be hallucinating. His voice was the only thing left to him if Charlie couldn't see him. "Charlie, it's me. Please, Buddy, what's wrong?"

At Charlie's threat to shoot him all Don could do was raise his hands to show he was not a threat. He tried to speak to him again but it seemed his words only drove Charlie deeper into his delusion, pushing him ever closer to the edge. His adrenalin heightened senses saw the slight movement of the finger on the trigger, took in the effort Charlie was making to take the shot and Don knew he was within a hair of being killed by his own brother. Clearly Charlie was terrified of him and saw this as his only option to protect himself. If it were that simple Don could let it happen but Charlie wouldn't be able to deal with the aftermath once the drugs wore off. He had to try to talk him down even as he saw the pain his words were causing.

"Please, Charlie. Don't do this, you don't want to do this."

The moment his team arrived couldn't have come any later, the distraction interrupting Charlie's concentration and causing his finger to ease up on the trigger just as Don was sure he'd reached the point of no return. Shouting a warning at them Don held still as the gun swung back to him. He saw Colby and David bring up their weapons, aiming them at Charlie and he started to open his mouth to order them to back off when he realised Charlie was seemingly calming and not recognising the threat to himself, was actually twisting it to see it as a threat to him. Charlie ignored David's order turning the words around and using them to again threaten him. The agent saw a flash of understanding cross Nikki's face and she stepped forward, right into Charlie's line of fire.

His day of shocks was not over as Nikki now stood over him pointing her gun at his face. "Not going to let you kill Charlie!" She shouted at him.

He gaped up at her until he saw the quick wink. The other two agents also moved in, aiming their guns down at him and blocking Charlie with their bodies. Looking up Don could see hesitation and confusion on the two men's faces but they were following Nikki who clearly had a plan. She winked again jerking her gun and moving her head slightly, she wanted him react.

"No!"

Nikki looked relieved as she twisted her gun up and pulled her trigger, sending her round harmlessly into a nearby box. Don got the full picture and held still, closing his eyes and playing dead. It was hard not to react as he heard his brother's collapse and even harder to hold still as he heard the struggle start. Finally he could bear it no longer, opening his eyes and sitting painfully upright to see all three of his team wrestling Charlie. The drugs were in full force giving his brother superhuman strength making restraining him difficult. Finally they got it done, cuffed hand and foot Charlie had been rendered helpless.

His brother's terrified cries as he was loaded into the ambulance and the pure terror in his face whenever he looked at him tore at his heart and ramped his fury up even further. By the time they'd reached the hospital and he'd given his order to David he was more than ready to kill.

"Don. Donny!" Alan's voice finally penetrated.

Don forced himself back to the present, realising that his father had been calling his name several times over. He looked up into the concerned face and finished the tale, struggling to push the murderous fury away. "They wanted me to kill him, or him to kill me." The hand on his uninjured shoulder tightened in reaction.

"But he didn't, you didn't." Alan stated.

"It was close, Dad. Very close."

"I know, Donny, I know."

.


	5. Chapter 5

**Numb3rs: Paranoia**

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward gained. All real places and organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however._

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**CHAPTER FIVE**

-100-1111-1110-

He was awkwardly signing his discharge papers when the doctor came looking for them. He'd spent the night in a ward after his badly sprained wrist was strapped and his shoulder injury confirmed as a broken collarbone and he'd been given a tight sling to wear. There was nothing much that could be done, or needed to be done, for his broken rib as it was holding itself together and would continue to do so unless he got up to some contraindicated physical activity. Nor was there anything they could do for his badly bruised back. Tests had shown no damage to his kidneys, waiting for those results had been the reason he'd been admitted. He'd been told he could go and Alan had come upstairs from filling out more forms for the mental health unit about Charlie to pick him up.

"The unit just called, your brother's awake."

"I want to see him."

"I was hoping you would." The doctor turned and led them down the corridor to the elevators. "There will be a psychiatrist observing. We need to see how he reacts to you now that the drugs are wearing off. There are still traces in his system and things are yet to rebalance themselves but hopefully the worst is over."

The ride down two floors and the walk to the locked door took an eternity for Don. The fury from the previous day had grown colder and he needed some sign that his brother was on the mend before he spiralled out of control. He was barely hanging on as it was. The doctor stayed behind as they were buzzed through the door. A man was waiting and escorted them through the section until they finally reached another secured door outside of which was waiting a woman in a stereotypical white coat.

"Doctor Michelle Adams. I've been assigned Charlie's case."

"Alan Eppes and this is Don." Alan introduced as Don found himself distracted, staring through the large window at his brother's still restrained form. "How is he?"

"Awake, aware." Doctor Adams started to explain. "He's very confused and doesn't understand where he is or why."

"Why is he still in restraints?" Don demanded, he could see his brother was awake and seemed calm. As he watched Charlie tried to move an arm only to have the padded cuff around his wrist prevent the movement causing him to frown in frustration.

"There are still drugs in his system. The levels are far less than yesterday but with these types of medications it will take some time to work their way clear and the effects to dissipate." She answered. "We hope to remove them tomorrow."

"What did they give him?"

She rattled off a series of poly-syllabic chemical names that he didn't recognise except for three, lysergic acid diethylamide, phenylcyclohexylpiperidine, and methamphetamine. Even he could figure that the combination of LSD, PCP and Ice couldn't be good. He had no idea what the other drugs were from their chemical names. "The combination is unusual and we're yet to determine the full effects from them. He has already demonstrated violence and extreme paranoia." She finished.

"Is it permanent?" Alan asked.

She shook her head. "We don't think so. He's not a regular user so this is a one off episode, but it could take a week to ten days to be fully metabolised. During that time I will be working with him to help him through the emotional aspects of his experience. It would help if you could describe everything that happened in detail for me."

The last thing Don wanted to do right then was relive the whole experience for someone else, it hadn't stopped replaying in his own mind but that was private. It was for Charlie though and for him he would do anything. "Can I see him first?"

"Yes. But there are strict conditions. Mr Eppes you can come in too but I want Don to take the lead, I need you to stay back. This is to be a controlled exposure so we can determine where he is at this stage. Don, what is your normal relationship with your brother, are you close?"

"Yes. He works with me."

Adams frowned and checked her notes. "It says here he is a professor of math, not an agent."

"He consults on our cases which is why this happened. They were getting to me through him."

"I see. Would you generally categorise your relationship as friendly then?"

Not sure exactly what she was getting at he agreed with her assessment. "Look, can I see him now?"

"John and I will go in with you. If this gets too much for Charlie I'm going to ask you to leave."

"What are you expecting, Doctor?" Alan asked in concern as Don stared at her.

"Frankly I'm expecting him to revert to some degree of the paranoia he was suffering yesterday. There's a chance he won't but with what he was given and the amounts still showing in his bloodwork, I am afraid it will."

"Then perhaps Don shouldn't go in." Alan ignored the look his eldest shot him at that.

"It will be hard for you, hard for you both but I think we need to do this. It will give me a baseline from which to assess his recovery over the next few days. I didn't see him when he came in so I have only the attending's report to work from." Moving aside from where she'd been between Don and the door to Charlie's room she nodded. The nurse used his passcard and the door lock clicked green.

Without hesitation Don turned the handle and entered, barely noting that the others followed as well. He approached the single bed in the otherwise bare room, slowing at the last few steps so he didn't startle his brother.

"Charlie?"

"Who?"

"Charlie, it's me." Don moved closer, leaning over and trying not to see the straps that crossed his brother's chest binding him to the bed. Charlie's head turned as he looked at him. "Hey, Buddy. How're you doing?"

"Don?"

"Yeah, Charlie, it's me."

"No, no, no, no. Don's dead. You can't be here. Don's dead, you're dead. No, no, no, you're back, you're gonna kill me."

"Charlie, Charlie please listen to me." Don tried as Charlie rambled on, his voice rising. Don tried to soothe him, reaching out to touch a shoulder that flinched violently away. "Charlie, it's okay, you're safe now. No one can hurt you."

Charlie's head turned, seeing the others in the room for the first time. He focused on his father and continued yelling, his voice rising hysterically. "Dad, please help me. Don's going to kill me, get him away. Get him away!"

"Don, you need to leave now." Doctor Adams instructed.

Ignoring her as Charlie continued to shout Don tried to comfort his brother but found himself being dragged bodily away by the nurse. He didn't appreciate it at the time but the man was taking pains not to exacerbate his injuries in the process. Instead Don turned and snapped in his distress as he was hustled from the room. "Get your hands off me!"

At his brother's raised and angry voice Charlie suddenly screamed in terror and thrashed on the bed, trying to pull himself free from the restraints. "Dad! Dad!"

"I'm here, Charlie, my son. I'm here." Alan ran his hand over Charlie's sweating brow, then dropped it to squeeze gently at his shoulder. His youngest eased back and stopped struggling. "You're safe now. I'm here."

Don tried to fight his way back but the nurse was too strong and he was severely hampered by his injuries even if he wasn't actually feeling the pain in his effort to escape. He found himself pushed up against the wall beside the Lexan window in the hall outside and held securely in place. Struggling to control himself he watched as the doctor touched his father on the arm and they both withdrew, the door closing with an additional click as the lock engaged. He turned his head to the man still holding him. "Let me go."

The man immediately released him and stepped back. "I'm sorry, sir. Just doing my job."

Don didn't spare him a second thought, turning back to the doctor. "You have to do something for him. You know what the drugs are, counter them."

The doctor shook his head at Don's statement. "Not that easy, not with these drugs in these combinations. All we can do is provide minimal sedation, we have to allow his system to work them out."

"But you said that will take ten days."

"I said 'up to', it may be less but with the strength of that reaction I wouldn't expect anything much sooner than that."

"No, there has to be a better way. He's going to suffer the whole time, have these hallucinations, these paranoid delusions that I'm out to kill him?"

"The effect should ease as each day goes by. There is a way we can reduce his stress." The doctor looked uncomfortable but forged ahead. "Your father can visit, he calms Charlie, but you need to stay away."

"What? No! He's my brother, I can't abandon him!"

"Don, please." Alan interrupted. He saw what the doctor meant, this was for the best. Once again his eldest son's needs would have to be overridden by the needs of his youngest. He offered a compromise. "They will let you come visit, when he can't see you, when he's asleep or resting. He won't have the delusions if he can't see you. You can ease that pain for him. Doctor?"

Seemingly reluctant she finally nodded. "I can allow that."

"You'll 'allow' that?"

"Don!" Alan said in shock at his son's sharp tone. He'd brought his boys up better than that.

The doctor understood the reaction and fully read the inflection in Don's words. Those used to being in authority rarely liked being told what they could or couldn't do, either in their professional lives or their private ones by those outside their profession. "Agent, the welfare of the patient comes first. You can visit but only when he's resting, when he can't see you. Is that clear? Or shall I ban you from the unit altogether?"

"No." He finally managed, his voice faint. That would be far worse than what he was being offered. He looked to the window again as he heard his brother calling for their father but he didn't step up to the bullet-proof Lexan in case Charlie was looking towards the door. "We're clear, Doctor."

"We need to sedate him now to allow him to rest after that exposure." Adams explained, satisfied she'd made her point. "You can come back tomorrow once he's had more time to settle. This is what's best for him."

Don nodded, pulling himself back together and glancing at his father knew he'd been reacting unreasonably. He forced the anger back, years of practice allowing him to seemingly calm himself even as his true feelings boiled just beneath the surface. "I know. I'm sorry about before."

"It's alright, Don. I understand." She gazed at him critically for a moment. As this was her area of specialty she could see the emotional pain he was in. She'd not missed the intense pain that had crossed his face when his brother had flinched away from him. "Do you have someone you can talk to?"

"Yeah, I got a shrink."

She winced slightly at the term but nodded. "I suggest you go see him."

"I will." Don promised. But not until this was all over, he added to himself. There was no way he could let this go before those responsible were caught. Or dead.

"Good. John will show you to my office. I'll be with you shortly."

True to her word she joined them within ten minutes, reporting that Charlie was sleeping peacefully. Keeping to his own word Don ran over the sequence of events, answering questions detailing Charlie's words and actions in the grip of the drug. Finally she had enough to work with and thanked him for his patience. That almost made him laugh, patience was something he didn't have right at the moment, there were things he needed to do.

"So, call before you come tomorrow."

"We will, Doctor. Thank-you." Alan offered her his hand before following the nurse and his obviously upset son to the exit.

The ride home passed in silence after Don's call to David had revealed that Yuri and his men were still on the loose. David had tried to explain how much manpower they were devoting to the case, what leads they were running down but he wasn't interested. He'd tersely reinforced his order that the men be found before hanging up on his subordinate. His father had recognised the mood and had given him the space he needed with his thoughts.

Arriving at the house Don went upstairs to his room, undoing his sling and tossing it aside before opening the closet. He pushed away some concealing boxes and pulled out the one he sought.

Alan let it go for almost an hour before he headed upstairs to check in on him, finding his son in Charlie's room.

"Don?" Alan asked somewhat hesitantly.

"I've crossed lines before, Dad." Don started, his voice dull and devoid of emotion. The time he'd spent deep within his thoughts and the conclusion he'd come to had robbed him of that. "I crossed them for Megan, how can I do any less for my own brother?"

More than a little frightened by the words Alan moved carefully into the room and took up a spot beside Don on the bed, close but not too close as to crowd him. He didn't answer immediately, his attention drawn to the large silver handgun his son was holding. It wasn't his Bureau issue weapon, this was a new one of a different model that he'd never seen before. The answer as to where he'd got it was all too clear, he'd gone first to Don's room when he came looking for him only to find the empty lockbox and recognise the hollowed out shapes in the foam inside it. The opened and half empty box of ammunition beside it only increased his fear even if he'd not been too sure what he should be afraid of, especially as he'd seen his son's ID abandoned beside it. Given his son's words now he understood only too clearly what Don wanted to do. He really wasn't sure which was worse.

"But Don, this line," Alan cautiously indicted the weapon with a slight lift of his hand. "This line is too far. You can't come back from this."

"I know. I know I can't do this." Don's grip tightened on the weapon and Alan knew it had to be painful for his sprained wrist even if he showed no sign.

Alan remained silent as Don worked it through. When Don finally spoke again the words were faint but recognisable with an all too raw edge of honesty and pain.

"But I want to." Don finally said it, unable to hold it in any longer. His voice strengthened. "If they were here now I would shoot them down in cold blood and not regret it."

"Oh, Donny." Alan couldn't stay quiet any longer, not when his son was seriously contemplating murder and had the means and skills to carry it out. It explained why he'd put his ID aside. "I understand, believe me I do. When you told me what they'd done, that they'd used him to get to you," his voice broke and he had to compose himself, this truth was painful for him to admit let alone feel. "I'm glad they weren't somewhere in that hospital where I could have reached them."

Don looked across at him at that, he knew his father's philosophy on violence and revenge. "Dad?"

"I'm alright, son." Alan responded, amazed that in this mindset Don could be worried about him. "But, not this. You can't do this."

His father was speaking nothing but the truth. Don had just spent the time since coming home warring with himself. Sitting here was not what he had planned, he had dug out the spare gun he'd kept at the house and loaded it with every intention of marching downstairs and taking his father's car keys so he could go out and hunt Yuri down himself. He'd left his badge and ID behind; if he found the Russian he wasn't going to arrest him. It was all so cut and dried, so simple. But then he'd seen Charlie's half open door as he'd come out of his room and found himself sitting on the end of his brother's bed, surrounded by the disarray that was his room. The notebooks filled with his brother's equations, a discarded shirt that had been worn for more than one day by the smell of it and the all over 'Charlie-ness' that was the room had trapped him here until his father had found him. The desire to leave and kill was not as strong as the desire to have Charlie safely back home with everything back to normal. That could not happen if he was successful in his mission, his life as he knew it would be over and his time with Charlie almost totally curtailed, assuming he lived through it. Not to mention what it would do to their father. For himself he could live with the fallout whichever way it went, but he couldn't do that to his family.

He stared at the gun in his hand a moment longer before letting out a deep sigh, his murderous desires only eased away to a generalised burning anger but it was enough to enable him to pull even further back from that dangerous edge. He had to let it go, had to let David and the Bureau do their work, he wouldn't let Yuri destroy him. In a few quick, well practised moves he unloaded the weapon, hearing his father's relieved sigh beside him. In continued silence he rose, returned to his room and locked the gun away returning the lockbox to its hiding place in the closet. The thought crossed his mind to hand the key to his father but he couldn't quite bring himself to do that, not yet.

Alan watched from the hall as Don put the weapon away and left it at that. He couldn't push the issue now, or even any time soon before this was all over, but he was far from pleased that Don had been storing a weapon here, in his house, without his knowledge.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Numb3rs: Paranoia**

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward gained. All real places and organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however._

_

* * *

  
_

**CHAPTER SIX**

-100-1111-1110-

"David, you have something?" Don demanded as his agent followed Alan into the family room. He grabbed the remote and shut off the sound to the game he been following on the television.

David ran a tired hand down his face as he took a seat on the couch opposite. It was something Don had never noticed before, how David would take on some of his mannerisms when he took on the role of supervisor. "We're making progress."

Alan returned with a glass of water. "Here you go, David."

"Thanks." He took a long drink before setting the glass down. "How's Charlie doing?"

"Improving." The older Eppes answered as he took his own seat. He didn't miss the anger that swept across Don's face even if it was a common sight these last few days and after the incident with the gun a few days ago, still worrying. "The drugs are gone from his system and they're expecting his natural levels will be close enough to normal in the next couple of days or so."

David glanced at Don before asking his next question. "How is he with the paranoia, has he reacted again to Don?"

"I haven't been near him while he's been awake." Don said tightly. He saw David's surprise and knew he hadn't been expected to answer this. "I'm not allowed."

The bitterness and hurt in his boss' tone would have etched glass. David kept his features under control. He had heard of Charlie's second reaction to Don in a meeting set up by the doctor but not that as a result he been banned from visiting his younger brother. He didn't know what to say.

"Monday, Don." Alan said. "They said they'd like you to see him on Monday."

That was almost two whole days away, another two days of lurking in a hospital hallway like some stalker where all he could do was watch Charlie sleep. Or, as had happened the last two times, he'd been forced to stand in the surveillance room and watch his brother on a monitor screen. There had been some improvement though, just as his father said. Furniture had been moved into the room now that Charlie's restraints were gone and he was able to move about freely. Don had brought in pads and textas on his second visit, knowing how Charlie would stress without a means to work on what was in his head. For a couple of days they had been ignored but yesterday he'd seen that at least three pads appeared to have been filled, a fact their father had confirmed after his visit earlier in the day reporting that Charlie was working almost constantly. Charlie would need more pads or he would start writing on the walls and somehow he thought the hospital may not approve of that. He had another stack sitting on the table near the door ready to take with them when they went in shortly. It was late, after normal visiting hours, but it allowed him the best chance of being close to his brother, even if it was on the wrong side of the bullet-proof Lexan.

David cleared his throat in the uncomfortable silence as he saw the frustration on Don's face and the worry on Alan's. He'd come here for a reason, to deliver news that may ease some of Don's anguish. "We've caught several members of the gang."

Don's head shot up at that. "When?"

"Today. We caught a break late yesterday and knocked over the warrants this morning."

"Yuri?" Don demanded before David could go further.

"No." David admitted a touch reluctantly. He rushed on to provide details to mitigate that failure. "But we've hurt his operation. We've got most of his men and stock. They were unpacking a shipment as we hit them. It was a good bust. Nikki and Colby are still working on the paperwork and the DEA are crying foul."

"But no Yuri." Despite the admittedly good work he was deeply disappointed, Yuri was the one he wanted, the rest hardly mattered.

David sighed. "No. We spent the day sweating his lieutenant, Bohdan, but he's still refusing to give his boss up. We're now in a time-out. We'll pull him back out of detention tomorrow and keep going."

"Where is he?"

"Don," David started warningingly, having a fair idea where this was leading and not wanting to go down this road. He was prepared for it but really hoped he wouldn't be put in a position to have to act.

"David."

He sighed again. Don was going to go there. At least Bohdan was physically out of Don's reach. "Federal facility."

"Come get me when you pull him out. I'll get him to talk."

"No."

"Don," Alan interrupted. He was alarmed at the staring match the two men had suddenly entered. A standoff in the making.

"No?" Don demanded, ignoring his father, barely even hearing the attempted interruption. He was a far better interrogator than David, he was the perfect person to get this Bohdan to crack.

Not giving an inch David answered. "You gave me an order, Don."

"Then I'm giving you another one."

"No. I'm not going to let him get off the charges on a due process or harassment complaint." David explained. "We've got him, Don. We're not going to let him walk on this."

Where orders failed Don tried to reason. "I'm just going to talk to him, David." Bohdan wasn't Yuri, wasn't the one he wanted to get his hands on. "You'll be there, but I'll be able to make him talk."

"Don, I've seen you like this. It worked out last time but I'm not letting this happen on my watch." David still hadn't figured out how his boss and Edgerton had come away from that incident without internal charges if not criminal ones. Neither agent had even been disciplined even if the incident had been noted in their records. As he'd told Colby once, he did things a little differently than Don did, not always approving of his boss' methods even if he couldn't deny the results.

"David." Don's tone was now dangerous.

David stared him down. This was exactly what he had feared, Don's anger had not eased with the passage of time or Charlie's apparent improvement but had instead festered. His calls to Alan each day without Don's knowledge hadn't given him any real hope that Don's mood had improved but here was a more than clear indication that it hadn't. He had to pull out his trump card, no matter how much it hurt him and quite possibly their friendship to do so.

"I'll revoke your building access if I have to."

Don blinked at that. Whilst not as serious as being stood down, being locked out of the office would leave a permanent entry on his record, along with the reasons for it. He opened his mouth but now he was the one without words.

"I'm sorry, sir." David continued, resorting to strict formality. "I'm not going to let you throw everything away on this. Are we clear?"

He stared at his agent a little longer, David had learned a lot over the last few years. His influence, for good or bad had shaped the other man, gave him the strength to do this to him if needed. Finally he gave in, David had won this battle. Breaking eye contact he responded, "Clear."

David's relief was obvious as he let out a long breath. "Then this conversation never happened." He stood and looked down with the faintest hint of a smile before he spoke again, trying to lighten the mood before he left. "I'd better get back to it before Colby or Nikki will send a hit squad after me for leaving them behind to do all the work. I'll come by tomorrow and keep you posted. But I'll call the moment we get Yuri."

Don didn't react so it was up to Alan to show David to the door and let him out. When he returned Don still hadn't moved and seemed somewhat shell-shocked. "Don?"

His eldest seem to shake himself and looked up. "I'm good."

Shaking his own head at the not unexpected answer Alan went to get ready to go out. He'd sat through the encounter between his son and his second in command in very uncomfortable silence, afraid to even move after his aborted attempt to interrupt. This was not something he should have witnessed even if David was going to pretend it never happened. He'd already acknowledged too much by asking his question of his son and had to let this go as well. He remembered the doctor suggesting Don should speak to someone and found himself hoping that was one piece of advice his son would take soon.

Don sat for a moment longer getting his emotions back under control. He'd almost let his anger get the best of him again. It was a constant companion now but he thought he'd mastered it, had it compartmentalised where it waited ready for use when needed. It hadn't worked that way, it had clouded his thoughts at the chance of getting to Yuri. He'd pushed too hard for access and David had pushed back. The warning stung and he realised that he had gone a long way down a dangerous path and had to find his way back before it was too late. He remembered how close he came to the edge when he'd come home from the hospital, how it was only by hanging onto family that he'd put the weapon away and had left things in the FBI's hands. Clearly he was still on that slippery slope and needed desperately to regain his footing, to grab some anchor to pull himself back up. David had provided some of that in his refusal to obey Don's commands on this, staying true to Don's first order not matter how much it could cost him. There was a cost, he knew that even as he struggled to come to terms with the rest. Things were going to be a little different between them now that David had shown his teeth.

"Ready?" His father's voice broke into his reverie.

"Huh? Yeah." He got himself moving, grabbing at the stack of notebooks and heading out to the car. The trip into the hospital passed in silence, Don returning to his thoughts and working to convince himself, his emotive self, that he had to back down, had to allow others to resolve this case. His head really was a bad neighbourhood, this time far worse than anything he'd ever experienced before.

Charlie was asleep when they arrived. Handing off the notebooks to the nurse Don took his place beside the window looking in, abandoning his introspective thoughts to be in the here and now. Just watching Charlie sleep was calming, his brother was still alive, Yuri had not killed him when he'd had the chance. Despite the horror of the rest of it he could be grateful at least for that.

Alan stood beside him, having visited earlier in the day he was here as much for Don's support as to see his youngest even if given the hour he wasn't permitted into the room either. His earlier visit today had gone well, a long calm conversation touching on everything except, painfully, his older brother. At no point during his recovery to this point had Charlie asked after Don even if Alan had taken it on himself to tell his youngest that Don was on the mend and home with him.

As their shadows driven by the bright hall lighting fell across the bed, Charlie unexpectedly opened his eyes. Don stood frozen, not sure what he should do, worried that any sudden movement could spook his brother and cause him to panic, setting back his recovery. For a few seconds Charlie simply stared back before he pushed down the blankets and sat up. After another moment he swung his legs down and stood. Don barely dared to breathe as Charlie took a few slow steps closer. Stopping in the middle of the room he observed the two visitors, head tilted slightly to the side. The familiar face changed to take on a hint of a cautious smile.

Heartened, Don carefully moved his left hand, lifting it in an equally cautious greeting as he smiled back. After a moment Charlie hesitantly mirrored the move with his own hand. Pressing his hand against the window Don felt a lot of his stress drain away, his brother truly was recovering. It still hurt to see him so careful and to not be able to be any closer to him that this but the improvement was so great that, for the moment at least, he barely felt the pain. Without thinking he spoke his brother's name out loud. "Charlie."

Charlie twitched slightly, appearing suddenly apprehensive as he cocked his head even further to the side as if listening for something. Don knew what he was waiting for, for the voices that had driven him to attack him back in the warehouse. Without going into too much detail the doctor had given them that much after some of her sessions with him. A moment passed, then another before Charlie relaxed, seemingly the voices had remained silent. The hand that had started to droop came back up and reached out slightly even if he didn't move any closer to the window.

"Sir." A voice intruded from the side.

Don turned to see the duty nurse rapidly approaching.

"Sir, you are not meant to be interacting with the patient."

"He's not afraid of me." Don argued back even as he saw Charlie flinch again. He knew that even though his brother couldn't physically hear him unless he significantly raised his voice it seemed he was still expecting to hear the twisted voices.

"Come away now, sir." The nurse ordered, her tone making it clear that she didn't care what he said. She had written instructions in the patient's file that she was going to obey.

Dropping his hand off the window Don let out a deep sigh. He was here under sufferance as it was, a privilege allowed him given the circumstance of the case, a privilege that could all too easily be revoked. With one last glance at his brother to find him in the same place watching intently he turned away and moved to the side. Taking a few steps he moved down the hall turning back in time to see a figure press against the window. The angle meant they couldn't see each other but Don was further encouraged even as his father's smile confirmed it, Charlie had actively sought him out.

With this positive sign Monday seemed all too far away, another whole day and two nights stretched between now and the chance of actually entering the room to be with Charlie. The nurse hung around as if sure Don was going to disobey her order and jeopardise that precious chance.

They remained a little longer with Alan trying to communicate through the window with some home-made sign language before finally pressing both hands together and resting his head on them, a sign for sleep. He nodded at what seemed to be some response before turning away and joining Don.

"I'm telling the doctor about this first thing." Alan said as they walked down the hall behind the nurse. "Maybe we can move up your visit to tomorrow."

Don wasn't sure he could allow himself that hope even if it lightened his mood far more than anything else had so far this week. The anchor he'd wanted earlier had been provided, he had something to work towards, the face to face meeting with his brother.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Numb3rs: Paranoia**

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward gained. All real places and organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however._

_

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**CHAPTER SEVEN**

-100-1111-1110-

Don sat once again on the end of Charlie's bed, bitterly disappointed in the news brought home by his father. Alan had argued with the doctor, insisting that Charlie's actions the night before had meant he was ready to see Don but she had steadfastly refused to bring the promised meeting forward. Don had been waiting with his cell phone mounted in its holder on his belt so he wouldn't miss the call no matter where he was in the house. He been too worried to jinx things by going with Alan to the hospital, he could call a cab if he was given the go ahead. But the phone hadn't rung, his father waiting until he was home to deliver the crushing news in person. Now Alan was outside gardening as he allowed Don much needed privacy to recover from the emotional blow. He'd once again sought out his brother's room, finding the familiar smell and mess soothing. He'd been out into the garage earlier in the week only to find it too empty, the chalkboards half filled with squiggles that were still mostly meaningless despite his brother's efforts were waiting almost forlornly for their owner to return. At least here where he could almost touch his brother it didn't seem like he was so far away, so unreachable.

When his cell finally rang it was unexpected until he remembered David's promise. Sliding it out of the holder in record time he got it open and up to his ear. "Eppes."

"_Hello, Fed."_

This time he immediately recognised the voice. His hand tightened on the phone causing the plastic to creak. "Yuri."

"_I thought you would have learnt after that lesson."_

"You expected us not to react after that?" Don was incredulous. "Seriously?"

"_You cost me a lot of money." _Yuri said angrily._ "My contacts are not happy."_

"Good."

"_You should really be showing me a bit more respect. You know what I'm capable of."_

"And you know what we're capable of." Don snapped back. His long evening of introspection enabled him to add, "Hand yourself in."

"_I don't think so. You made an offer before. Does it still stand?"_

Now he was confused. "What offer?"

"_You, unarmed, anywhere I say."_

Don held his tongue, the gloating was not as strong as the last time they'd spoken but there was a confidence there that didn't bode well. Yuri was right, he did know what the man was capable of. There was an as yet unspoken threat, something that Yuri knew that he didn't, something that the man was confident would bend the agent to his will.

"_I know where your brother is." _Yuri started after the silence had stretched. _"I know where your father is. I know where you are. I can get to whoever I want. Tell me who I should go for, Fed."_

"I don't think so, Yuri." Despite the confidence it had to be a hollow threat even as the shot of adrenalin through his body indicated otherwise. "We've got most of your men in custody. You can't get to anyone."

"_Most is not all, Fed."_ Yuri reminded him. _"A locked hospital ward is no problem when you have your hands on a swipe card and your father shouldn't be spending so much time outside. One call and one of them dies."_

"One call and I'll have twenty agents between you and them." He countered.

"_Are your agents parked down the road watching your father weed? Are they hanging out in the hospital hallways?"_

The ice that ran through his veins at that nearly took his breath away. Knowing that Charlie was in hospital was pretty much public knowledge, easily obtainable but knowing that his father was outside weeding was not so easy to explain away. It meant they were being watched at the house, even if the hospital was a bluff. Yuri could do it, could get to his father at least before he could react. The Russian's confidence and his knowledge of how the man operated had him believing the threats were all too real, all too possible to carry out. He decided he had to play along, get the location for the demanded meet and call it in. The homicidal anger that had driven him earlier in the week had not totally vanished, but had reduced to a manageable level, allowing him to think clearly even if the opportunity to come face to face with Yuri was more than tempting. He no longer sought the confrontation but it was starting to seem that he didn't have the choice. Given that he would try to do this right.

"Where?"

"_Leave the house, start walking. Unarmed, Fed."_ Yuri added in reminder. He gave it a moment before continuing. _"This is a limited time offer. One more thing, don't hang up, I don't want you calling your fed friends. This is between us."_

"When you have me, what then?" Don demanded. There was actually no doubt what Yuri would do with him once he had him but, "What about my family?"

"_I'll leave them alone. You are the one I want, you are the one that's going to pay."_

Don's hand tightened on the phone in equal parts fear and anger. He knew how the Russian gangs operated, much like the Yakuza if there was failure blood was owed, the bigger the failure the more blood. Losing most of his men and stock was going to cost Yuri at least a life and the Russian would rather it wasn't his own. Taking the cost out on the agent responsible paid the debt and showed his masters how dedicated he was to them by killing a federal agent, not a light thing. Once again the silence stretched.

"_Someone's going to die today, Fed. If you don't have the balls for it to be you then-"_

"Alright!" He interrupted with a near shout as his words from their last conversation were thrown back at him. "I'll come to you."

Now there was satisfaction in the voice. _"The line stays open, the cell stays with you. If you don't answer at any time I speak I'll call my men and your family dies before you do. I've got enough men waiting outside to take the house."_

"I got it!" Don snapped.

Forced to keep the cell at his ear he stood and headed out to the hall. He eyed his own room for a moment, thinking of the pistol in the lockbox before resolutely heading down the stairs. At the side table he stopped and, pulling his arm from the sling, wrote a quick note instructing his father to call it in the moment he was gone. Spotting his father's cell he made an addendum. Folding the note he slipped his arm back into the sling and swapped hands with the phone. Tightening the straps on the sling lifted his right arm up at a sharp angle above what was strictly necessary to support his collar bone but brought his right hand, and thus the phone, close enough to his ear he'd be able to hear Yuri if he spoke. His left hand was now free. Picking up his father's cell he set it to silent and disabled the vibrate function before pushing it into his sling as deeply as he could between his arm and chest where hopefully it would be overlooked if he were searched.

"_Fed."_

"What?"

"_I said 'limited time offer'."_

"I had to get dressed. I'm coming out now."

"_Now, Fed." _The impatient Russian demanded.

Don didn't bother responding to that even as he moved quickly to the door and stepped outside having to squint against the bright sunlight before he could see his father. Walking down the front steps he moved down to stand beside the older Eppes who was on his knees pulling at the weeds that persisted in coming back no matter how many he pulled up the hard way refusing to use poison. Don glanced quickly up and down the street seeing a dark SUV parked in front of a house two doors up, the shadows he could make out inside indicated it held at least two men. It seemed those in the SUV knew they'd been spotted as the headlights flashed twice in quick succession. They were waiting for him, proof that Yuri's threat was not a bluff. Don turned away just as his father noticed him and climbed to his feet, brushing the dirt from his hands.

"Donny? I thought you were resting."

He twisted his right hand slightly, wincing at the strain to his wrist, to show that the cell was active. With Yuri's order that this wasn't to be called in he could hardly tell his father the truth which was why the note. "David just called. He needs me to come in."

Alan frowned at that. There were several things wrong with Don going into the office, especially after the scene last night. Unless David showed up to take him in personally he found himself doubting that his son was telling the truth. "Don, he made it more than clear that you can't go in."

Thinking fast Don nodded at the waiting SUV. "He sent someone to collect me."

Alan turned to see the indicated vehicle down the street. Something was definitely off kilter about this. "What are they doing all the way down there?"

The question required more fast thinking. "Yuri's made a threat against you. David didn't want to call attention to the house." His father opened his mouth to argue so he took his father's hand, pulling him round towards the house as his tightly folded note pressed its hard corners into both their palms. He tightened his grip briefly as he saw his father react. Alan's eyes flicked to the phone Don was holding near his ear. With the faintest of nods Don confirmed his father's dawning understanding. "I need you to go inside. Don't open the door until David sends someone over."

Releasing his son's grip Alan palmed the note, skills learned in the sixties hadn't faded with the passage of years. He headed for the front door reluctantly but had to accept that Don knew what he was doing. That was harder than it should have been given the wave of dark emotion his son had been riding this week since the attack. But the obvious improvement in his mood last night and this morning had given him hope that a corner had been turned. The fear and worry in his son's eyes that he could now see in place of the all consuming anger made it clear this was not something Don was making up to escape the house to go on his own hunt as he'd wanted that first day. Something far more worrying was happening, Don was under duress.

"I'll be careful. You going to be long?" He asked to keep up appearances, he had no doubt someone was listening in to the conversation.

"I don't think so."

"_Time's almost up, Fed."_ Yuri's voice came from the phone speaker. _"Two seconds or my men hit the house."_

"I'm on my way now, David." Don said into the phone, keeping up the pretence. His father couldn't hear the words but would have heard someone speaking. "Bye, Dad."

With a brief wave Don walked down the path, relieved as he heard the front door close behind him. Without looking back he turned when he reached the sidewalk and walked quickly towards the waiting SUV. Closing the distance he could now count four heads in the large vehicle, Yuri had been telling the truth when he'd said he'd had enough men waiting to storm the house. With no back-up and his gun secured in a lockbox he'd never have been able to fight them off. The phone in his hand abruptly went dead when he was just a few yards away. At the same time the rear doors opened and two men climbed out, the man from the far side quickly making his way around the front of the vehicle to join the first man in confronting him. Both men had hands under their shirts at their waists.

One stepped closer, glancing quickly around as Don stopped. His accent was stronger than Yuri's but he was still easily understandable. "You packing?"

"No."

The woman in the front yard of the house next door looked up curiously from her watering at the group of men despite not being close enough to hear what was being said. The observation was noted by both the agent and the criminal.

Yuri's man took the cell from Don's hand tossing it with a flick of his wrist against the fence a few feet away. He stepped away slightly. "Get in."

His father was relatively safe but there was now an innocent civilian in the line of fire. He had no option but to obey the command. With slow steps he closed the last two yards to the open rear door, the first man moving to crowd in behind him in case he changed his mind and tried to back out of his deal. The other man returned to his side of the vehicle, climbing quickly in and drawing his weapon where it couldn't be seen by the woman. Don climbed up and shuffled across to take up the spot in the middle working to keep the twinge from his sore ribs off his face. The first man crowded in after him, pulling the door closed before also drawing his weapon. Both guns pressed against his ribs as the driver started the engine and they pulled away from the curb. As they passed the house Don couldn't help but look over through the heavily tinted SUV's windows. He thought he saw a curtain move, his father getting a description of the vehicle spiriting his son away.

Don turned his head forwards and his attention inwards, ignoring the men beside him and in particular the weapon pressing against his broken rib. They were not going to harm him, Yuri wanted this one for himself. That said, he was heading towards probable death, a situation he'd walked into with both eyes open but one he wasn't going to be able to get himself out of without help. The cell phone secreted in his sling was his only hope.

.


	8. Chapter 8

**Numb3rs: Paranoia**

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward gained. All real places and organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however._

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

-100-1111-1110-

Don knew it was stupid of Yuri to insist on having the agent brought to him. The sensible option would have been to simply drive him somewhere relatively secluded and have one of his men put a bullet or two into his brain. Alone, injured, unarmed and outnumbered four to one they had him and could do as they wished. Not that he was complaining that they weren't taking the sensible approach. It was all to his favour that Yuri was taking the melodramatic, classic television villain approach. The longer the delay before the inevitable the better, giving his team a greater chance of getting a GPS fix on his father's cell and come after him.

They went further than he expected, half an hour passing before they pulled up to a gated yard. The front seat passenger got out and opened the gate just wide enough to allow the vehicle through before pulling it closed and getting back into the SUV. They then wove their way between shipping containers before reaching a large warehouse. Driving straight inside they continued a few car lengths before coming to a halt. As they did so Don could hear a rattling noise and noted the light level dimming and deduced that the roller door was being lowered to seal them inside. Being a Sunday there was no activity in the whole area. This was about as secluded a spot as Don could imagine in the city.

The SUV's doors were opened and all four men quickly climbed out. The man to Don's left reached back in and getting a firm grip on his upper left arm hauled him out. Barely had his feet touched the ground than he was pulled around and shoved against the side of the vehicle. The body slam against the unyielding surface was something that Don could have done without, the single move jarring wrist, shoulder and ribs causing him to grunt at the sudden pain. He bit that back as quickly as he could as something hard was pressed against his back and held still as he was quickly patted down. The search was cursory, for weapons only and missed the device tucked into his sling, just as he had hoped. A hand at the strap on his sling pulled him off the side of the SUV before shoving him deeper into the warehouse in a clear indication to follow a man that had already started walking that way.

Don stumbled slightly before stopping. He turned and levelled a look at the one that had been manhandling him, the man taking advantage of the rare opportunity to assault a LEO that couldn't fight back. Whilst that may have been the case he was also a Federal Agent and wasn't going to take this treatment without some sort of response. As the man's lip started to curl Don turned and followed the first man, making it clear by the way he moved that he was doing this under his own power, a distinction he had to admit was probably lost on the goons.

His reawakened hurts jarred with each step but he showed no outwards sign, simply following the man as they headed towards what appeared to be a set of offices at the rear of the large building. Again a hand pulled at his sling, forcing him to stop before he could follow the man ahead of him inside. Twisting himself free Don favoured the man with another look before affecting a bored attitude while he waited. Inwardly he was trying to calculate just how much time had elapsed and compare that to a scramble time for the Field Office to put together a rescue team. It was going to be very close.

After a few more minutes the first man returned and nodded. Seeing movement in his peripheral vision Don turned and stopped the Russian reaching for him with a glare before stepping into the office as if this was a civilised business meeting. As he passed through the door jamb he noticed damage around the edge as if the door had been forced.

Yuri was sitting behind a desk in an inner office. Ignoring him for the moment he glanced quickly around the room for exits and potential weapons that could aid him. In the process Don saw nothing that indicated this was a space normally inhabited by the Russian, with the damage to the door he came to the conclusion that they must have appropriated the warehouse for this purpose today. The break-in was unlikely to be discovered until early the next morning, his body some time after that if things went that far.

Don turned his attention to the desk itself, still ignoring the Russian who was lounging behind it as if he owned the place. Lying in pride of place in a cleared space on the desk was a semi-automatic pistol. Yuri's hands lay either side of the weapon, the whole set-up seemingly designed to impress the agent. Don couldn't think of any other reason behind the display and thought it rather tacky, letting his contempt show. The Russian gangs, including Yuri's had enough of a reputation without needing this. But then, Yuri was young, barely thirty and probably felt the need for props to go along with the television villain approach to this endgame.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Yuri demanded as his gloat turned to anger at the agent's response.

"I get it alright. I get a petty crook that can't solve his own problems without targeting innocents." Don snapped.

Yuri regained some composure at the agent's obvious anger. "I hurt you though, even if you didn't take the lesson to heart."

Don deliberately misunderstood, lifting his right arm slightly away from his body. "This? A couple of weeks and it'll be as if this never happened."

Yuri laughed. "Not that, but it was fun to see your brother beating on you. Another moment and I'm sure he would have shot you. As I'm sure you are too."

Don couldn't help the frown at that, Yuri knew too much detail.

"You didn't see the CCTV cameras?" Yuri smirked. "I've enjoyed re-watching it. I may even upload it to _YouTube_."

Don shrugged as if it hardly mattered even as he seethed inside, not for himself but for the potential damage to Charlie's reputation. "Sure, why not?"

Again Yuri's face darkened in anger as he failed to get the response he wanted. He stood and with deliberate movements picked up the gun from the desk. He made a show of checking it over, pulling back the slide slightly so the agent could see the waiting round. "You are making this even easier."

Barely glancing at the weapon Don stared Yuri in the face. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked reasonably, no trace of fear or apprehension in his voice. It was a fair question, few criminals actively targeted LEOs. For all of their reputation even the Russian gangsters thought twice about direct confrontation. Targeting bank accounts as had happened to him in the past or, as in this case, targeting family members were still a long way from abducting and executing the agent in charge of hunting them down. Privately however, considering Yuri's actions to date, he could concede that Yuri really was ready to take this step. It was now just a matter of timing.

Yuri laughed. "You think I'm not?"

"I don't think you're considering the consequences."

"What? Feds will hunt me and my men to the ends of the Earth? Put us in jail? Stuff like that?"

"You do this you'll never see the inside of a jail cell or a court room." Don promised, allowing some of his anger to show.

"Weak, Fed. Very weak. Your precious rules will keep us all in very good health while you're rotting away. Assuming anyone is game enough to come after us after we're done with you."

It was sheer stupidity if Yuri truly thought killing an agent would prevent others coming after him. It would lead to a minor war the likes of which the Russian gangster clearly couldn't imagine. "Keep telling yourself that, you may even believe it."

Yuri moved around the desk and stepped up, pressing the muzzle of the gun hard against the agent's chest just below the sling. "Tell me, Fed. Do you believe this?"

Don lifted his chin and looked down his nose at the man, refusing to acknowledge the weapon. He kept his silence even as in his thoughts he was urging his team to hurry. With the way things were going he doubted he could stall for much longer.

"Tough guy."

"So they tell me."

Yuri shoved him back hard with the gun, nodding at his men in the process. They responded by grabbing at the agent's upper arms. "Let's see how you go when you're on your knees. Take him out."

He suffered the indignity in silence, resisting at this point would just hasten his already looming end. The jarring to his injuries he also took in silence, even as the pressure against his collar bone felt like enough to undo the healing to date. Given the circumstances though, it was the least of his concerns. He tightened his right arm against his body as best he could to ease the pain and to ensure that the cell phone didn't become dislodged. If it were discovered it would be all too easy for them to destroy it and move him elsewhere before they continued where they left off. Again he wondered where his team was, the need for them increasing in urgency. Twisting his arm he gained enough movement to see his watch.

"You got somewhere you need to be?" Yuri taunted.

They'd stopped at a door that led outside and from what he could see of the overgrown grass it was a place where his body could escape notice for some time. Pushing away his rising anxiety he kept his voice steady. "Just thinking it's nearly lunch time, getting a bit peckish."

"Your father's only going to be cooking for one tonight." Yuri tossed back as he stepped aside and held the door open so his men could muscle an unresisting agent through.

They moved away from the edge of the building, heading out across the grassy waste area that clearly saw little use. Just as Don was thinking it really was all over, that at any moment now he would be pulled to a stop before being pushed down to his knees, khaki clad figures appeared around the back corner of the warehouse. Somehow his knees continued to hold him up as they went weak in relief. He continued a few steps more in the grip of the two men as the Russians hadn't spotted the SWAT agents approach. He was in a poor position to do anything for himself but before he could even start to plan any possible actions he could take the SWAT agents made their presence known.

"FBI! Drop your weapons, step away from the agent!"

The two goons holding him dropped his arms to reach for their own weapons, turning as the two other men were to face the threat. Yuri also turned but he was seeking the agent, either to kill him or use him as a shield. Don wasn't going to wait to find out which option the Russian was angling for. Automatically he dropped to the ground to give the SWAT team as clear a field of fire as he could manage. He'd also started to roll before the sudden flare of pain in his shoulder made it more than clear that the manoeuvre may not have been his best choice. Flattening himself against the rough ground he held still.

A number of shots rang out before an extended period of silence. Looking up to ascertain whether it was all over or if this was merely a pause in proceedings Don saw Yuri on the ground nearby. He looked around further for the rest of the Russians and saw that three were tossing their guns and kneeling in surrender and the fourth was sprawled motionless on the ground. Don started to sit up, glancing back over at Yuri when two things caught his attention at once. Yuri was still alive and conscious despite the bullet wound to his upper right chest and the semi-automatic pistol was only a few inches away from his hand.

The SWAT team were already moving in but again he moved automatically. Getting to his feet he moved the couple of steps needed to crouch carefully and retrieve the weapon, securing it away from the gangster's reach. Handling the weapon with his non-master hand meant that he had a finger on the magazine release instead of a thumb preparatory to dropping out the magazine when he reconsidered. His thoughts had finally caught up to him as he found himself standing over a helpless Yuri. Abandoning his previous action he adjusted his grip to better settle the fully loaded weapon in his hand as he continued to stare downwards.

This was where he'd wanted to be all week, a position he'd nearly given everything away for that first day after the attack when his anger was at it's most raw after Charlie's continuing terror. Flexing his fingers on the unfamiliar grip he saw Yuri looking up at him, fear overruling the pain in his eyes as he considered his life expectancy to be measured in heartbeats. For the moment however Don's left hand was hanging slackly down by his side, the weapon not yet brought onto target as he tried to push aside the emotion that was clamouring at him to take action, to take revenge. The reasons behind his decision from that first day were just as valid now, this was a line he couldn't come back from once he crossed it. Working efficiently his mind continued to tick over as he stared downwards, considering all the angles rather than just the emotive.

In the end he was unsure which reason made him take a step back, crossing the line or knowing he'd be tried for murder, but whichever it was he found himself relieved rather than disappointed. Turning away he saw Colby standing silently just a few feet away, his Springfield held in both hands slightly raised but pointed downwards at the ground. Ready but not quite brought to bear as he waited for his boss to decide what he was going to do. Their eyes met for a long moment before Colby holstered his weapon and reached out to take the one Don held. He let it go easily, turning away and picking his way over the rough ground towards the corner of the warehouse where the SWAT team had appeared. He didn't turn at the cry of pain behind him, knowing it was Colby moving in to secure Yuri, being less than gentle in the process. The Russian's pain would serve as his revenge and he kept walking with the satisfaction that Yuri had not succeeded in either killing or destroying him.

Besides, tomorrow was the day he could see Charlie. Nothing was going to get in the way of that.

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	9. Chapter 9

**Numb3rs: Paranoia**

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward gained. All real places and organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however._

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE**

-100-1111-1110-

"Are we understood, Don?" Doctor Adams asked after laying down the rules of the visit.

The events of the previous day were a distant memory, this was what he had been waiting and hoping for all week. He could enter the room, speak and interact with Charlie, if that meant he had to follow the doctor's rules then that was what he would do. At the first sign that his brother was afraid of him he was to literally back away, give his brother space and see if he calmed. If not, then he was to leave the room without creating a scene which could be detrimental to Charlie's recovery this far. The doctor didn't think it would come to that given Charlie's progress to date but she insisted on being prepared. "I got it."

As per previous visits Alan entered the room alone, the doctor feeling that it was best to stick with the established routine before Don added himself to the equation. This was a delicate turning point, the doctor had been working with Charlie over the last week, undoing the damage that the drugs and the twisted whisperings of the Russians had wreaked on his psyche. The effects may have been expected to be temporary, Charlie's normal mental state was relatively stable, or rather about as stable as could be expected for a highly driven genius, but the doctor held concerns about what deeper damage may have been caused by the sudden shift in his belief structure. Not to mention his extraordinarily out of character reaction, resorting to violence to the point of being a trigger pull away from killing his own brother. That, in and of itself, could have some lasting effect.

As he waited Don couldn't help but think on how this had affected his own mental balance. It would not have has as much impact if it had been just some random goon that had gotten the drop on him but to his distress it had been Charlie that had attacked and almost killed him in that warehouse. Rendered helpless and held at the point of his own gun it hadn't been anything that he'd done that had saved him from his brother's drug induced murderous intent. The horror and fear he'd felt had all too quickly been consumed by anger that he'd directed at Yuri, anger that had driven him to the point of wanting to commit murder. It disturbed him how easily he'd gone there, how quickly he'd armed himself prepared to storm out of the house and hunt the Russian down. By some miracle he'd dragged himself back from that edge but the mere fact that he'd been there concerned him. He was more than ready now to spill all this to Bradford in the hope that he could come to terms with this darkest side of himself, lock it away and move on.

He wondered whether it was all worth it. Yuri's case was simply one that had been assigned to his team by rotation, they'd finished their last investigation and the Russian gang had been next on the pile of waiting files. There had been nothing particularly special about the gang other than falling into their unit's frame of reference and yet, for this almost randomly assigned case, he'd almost destroyed his family. There was no one to blame but himself, his normal determination to give one hundred percent to his job had him focusing on the case and grabbing at any resource he needed to resolve it. If that meant bringing Charlie in to work his magic with numbers then that was what he would do, and had done in this case without considering the consequences. His actions had exposed his brother to danger he'd not been trained or prepared to face, no matter what he thought. True, Charlie was his own man and had learnt much over the last few years and Don had been the first to defend the use of a mathematician to solve not only white collar crime but violent crimes as well. But Don was also the older brother, with all the duties that entailed. It was his job to look out for his younger sibling, to protect him from bullies and keep him out of trouble, not drag him into it.

All of which led to him standing here, almost hesitant to see his own brother who had been locked into a secure psychiatric ward because of his stubbornness. Risks he'd accepted for himself he had all but forced onto Charlie by failing to shield him as he should, allowing himself to be swayed by his brother's enthusiasm to apply math to almost every conceivable problem. Crime was more than just an abstract expression that needed solving, crime had far more facets than most people realised, something that he should have been all too cognizant of. He couldn't blame Yuri for this, this was something that he'd brought down on Charlie through his own blind drive to bring down the bad guy. Saving lives and getting drugs off the street were noble causes but not at the cost of his brother's sanity as could so nearly have happened.

"Don?"

Don jerked out of his thoughts at his father's voice. "Dad?"

"Your brother's waiting."

Mindful of the doctor's warnings Don didn't rush into the room as he wanted, instead he stepped across into the doorway. Charlie was sitting at a desk where he'd been working at a notebook when they'd arrived almost half an hour ago. The pen was still in his hand but was being turned over and over in the professor's nervous grip. Their eyes met and Charlie stiffened slightly, the pen stilling in his grip for a moment before the hands resumed their twist and pull.

Taking the fact that his brother hadn't shied away as a good sign Don took a cautious step forward into the room before stopping. "Hey, Buddy."

Charlie pressed the cap back into place with an audible snap before dropping the pen to the desk. He stood and took his own careful step forward, much as he had two nights before despite not having the protection of a locked door between them. "Don?"

"Yes, Buddy. It's me."

"You're hurt."

"All on the mend, Buddy. Don't worry about it. How are you?" It hurt to dance around like this but he had to take it cautiously.

Charlie took a step closer as he critically examined his older brother, taking in the sling and the still careful way Don held himself. "I did that to you."

"It wasn't your choice, they drugged you."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. They attacked you, attacked me. None of this was your doing, Charlie. You hear me?"

"I, I tried to fight," Charlie started slowly before the words tumbled out. "But then the voices came and I thought you were going to kill me. I can't believe I listened to them, that I attacked you. I was going to kill you." The last was almost a whisper.

"You were drugged Charlie, and scared." Don explained, knowing that Charlie had already heard all of this but obviously needed to hear it again from him. He risked taking another step closer and put a light hand on his brother's shoulder as he looked deeply into his eyes. "You knew something wasn't right though, you couldn't do it."

Charlie stepped back shaking his head. He waved his hand at his notebooks. "I've been working on it, Don. The probability of you standing here now is so small as to be negligible. There was no reason for me to hesitate."

"But you did and I'm right here. It doesn't matter how many books you fill, nothing will change that." Don thought it best not to raise yesterday's episode, that negligible probability would be totally wiped out if Charlie knew what had happened.

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. Yuri's the one who did this and we got him, Buddy. It's all good." Approaching Charlie again he put his hand back on his shoulder and pulled him to him. "We're good."

This was not something they did very often but Don needed this and he was pretty sure Charlie needed it as well. He hugged him tighter and this time Charlie put his arms around him and hugged back. The tension he could feel in his brother's body faded away and he lost track of how long they stood like that. Eventually though the pressure against his injuries intruded and he found himself easing away until Charlie finally released him.

He framed it this time as a question. "We good?"

Charlie nodded, hesitantly at first as if doubting himself before nodding again more emphatically. "We're good." He even managed a slight smile.

Remembering where he was Don turned to see the doctor watching from the window. He jerked his head slightly indicating that he wanted to speak to her. In response she entered the room.

"When can we take him home?" He'd already been through this but Charlie seemed perfectly fine and he hoped she might change her mind.

"We just need another day or two to be sure things are stable." She stuck to her original timeframe. She softened the blow with a smile. "But I'm very pleased with your brother's response today. I don't see any problems that would force us to keep him any longer than that."

"Does he have to stay in here?" Don demanded. "Can he go out to a normal ward?"

"It is best that he stays here."

"But he doesn't need to be kept locked up anymore."

"He's free to move around the unit, we're not keeping him locked in during the day." She explained.

"It's alright, Don." Charlie interrupted before it could develop into an argument. "I've been here a week, what's another day or so?"

"If you're sure, Buddy."

"I'm sure. I'll be fine."

Don frowned slightly in surprise having been sure his brother couldn't wait to be free. There had also been a flash of something in his brother's eyes but it was gone almost before he noted it. "Wednesday, Charlie. We're taking you home on Wednesday."

* * *

Charlie had been back home for a full week and had returned to CalSci to work even if his classes were still being supervised by others whilst he regained his stride. After a few days Don had insisted on returning to his own apartment, wanting to make things as normal as possible for his brother. He didn't refuse the nightly invitations to dinner however, accepting his father's lift every afternoon given the frustrating refusal of his doctor to clear him to drive.

He finally had his own session with Bradford, laying out everything without hesitation. Don had realised the risk to his career, admitting homicidal rage could have him pulled from the field for a long period of evaluation, but the need to get this off his chest weighed heavily. Bradford had barely needed to say anything, simply making a few points that had him fully accepting how he'd felt and how he'd reacted to those feelings, having been well on the way before seeing the psychiatrist. Given that Don had withstood serious temptation, holding himself back from taking that final step when the opportunity was literally laid at his feet, Bradford had no hesitation in signing off on his return to active duty from a psychological point of view. With his own emotional baggage finally dealt with and safely stowed he had a better insight into how his brother was doing.

That hint of something he'd seen in Charlie's eyes back at the hospital bothered him and he started seeing it more frequently as the week progressed. The signs were small but it was becoming clear to Don that Charlie was afraid to be alone with him, appearing uncomfortable when their father would leave them in the lounge while he did the dishes or when Don would approach him alone in the garage. Don tried to draw him out but Charlie insisted everything was fine and would make the effort to relax but the tension remained. After giving it some thought he finally believed he figured out exactly what the problem was, interpreting the odd look as a combination of guilt and fear as he realised that Charlie didn't trust himself to be alone with him.

As was normal for him when trying to come to terms with a difficult event, Charlie was showing signs of getting lost in his mind. Don had seen the boards in the garage, the figures on them changing daily as Charlie struggled to work out what he was feeling. The daily recalculations only confirmed what Don already knew, it wasn't going to work. This was something that needed a more direct approach, something more akin to a smack upside the head. Charlie's follow-up appointment with Doctor Adams was due within a few days but with his brother's increasing avoidance and clearly increasing frustration if the cross-outs on the boards were an indicator, he decided to do something about it.

The inspiration came from his own experience, temptation laid out before him where he had the power to make his own choice. He knew that making the decision for yourself was always far more effective than being told what to do or feel.

.


	10. Chapter 10

**Numb3rs: Paranoia**

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward gained. All real places and organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however._

_

* * *

  
_

**CHAPTER TEN**

-100-1111-1110-

Don turned down the dinner invitation when his father phoned around lunch time. It almost descended into an argument but Alan finally let it go, accepting Don's assertion that they needed to try to return to normality which wasn't his spending every single night at the house. He didn't let on what he had planned. This was something between himself and his brother.

Against doctor's orders he drove himself to the parking lot at CalSci locating his brother's Prius in its usual spot. Parking beside a concealing van he found a bench under a tree nearby where he settled back to wait until his brother showed up. The call from their father had indicated that Charlie was going to be home early, around mid-afternoon so he hoped he wouldn't have to wait too long. It was around three when he spotted Charlie coming out from the building. Don got up from his seat and headed across on an angle out of his brother's sight, he needed to get close enough that Charlie couldn't dodge away. Charlie's avoidance of him had been rapidly approaching the point that he felt it highly likely, especially here where their father couldn't see.

"Don!" Charlie said in surprise when he stepped out from around the van parked beside the Prius. "I, uh, I forgot something. I'll see you at home?"

"No, Charlie. Hold it right there." Don ordered as Charlie started to turn to hurry back to the building. He stepped up and took his brother's arm in a firm grip. "You're coming back to my place."

"Don, I can't."

"Yes, you can. Let's go."

"But your shoulder, you can't drive. I'll drive." Charlie offered with every intention of driving them to his place no matter what Don might say.

"I can drive just fine." It hurt like hell with the bone finally starting to knit but this was important. The automatic transmission on the Suburban made it possible for him to drive almost safely.

Charlie started babbling about papers to grade and classes to prepare for now that he was about to resume teaching but Don kept moving, getting Charlie up and into the Suburban. He was in the driver's seat and pulling out before Charlie got the nerve up to disobey his brother and try to get out of the vehicle. Charlie sat in sullen silence the whole way, still refusing to speak as they rode the elevator up to Don's apartment. He only reacted when Don turned the lock on his door after pushing Charlie inside.

"Let me go."

Don ignored the demand. "Sit. We need to talk."

"Don, please. It's not safe, I'm not safe." Forced into the position he'd been avoiding all week, Charlie put words to the fear he'd been hiding.

"Sit down, Charlie." Don ordered in the same voice he would have used on a suspect, a voice that demanded compliance. In reinforcement he grabbed at his brother's arm and took him across to the table. He pulled out a chair with his foot and got Charlie settled before taking his own seat opposite. "This can't go on. You're avoiding me, what they did shouldn't come between us."

"Don, I'm sorry." Charlie started to explain. "I remember it all. I nearly killed you. I _wanted_ to kill you."

"I know, Charlie." Don answered, honesty was what was needed here if they were to resolve this. "The drugs were making you feel that way but you didn't pull the trigger when you had the chance."

Charlie remembered the slight movement of the trigger, the elation he'd felt that he was winning the fight against himself and would soon end his brother's life. "I almost did! If your team hadn't arrived when they did you would be dead now. How can I trust myself now, Don?"

"You have no reason not to, Charlie. It was the drugs, it was them getting into your head as the drugs took effect that led to that. It wasn't you, it was them."

"I don't know Don, I can still remember everything so clearly."

"But you're not afraid of me now are you?"

"No." He could remember the fear but he certainly didn't feel that way now. Instead his fear was completely turned around, Don should be afraid of him.

Don pushed. "You don't feel that I'm going to hurt you now either, do you?"

"No." Charlie admitted again. "But how can I be sure that I-, how can I know I won't be like that again? That I won't try to-"

Don heard the cut off words and knew he was on the right path, a potentially dangerous one but he was confident he was right. Having figured out a way that Charlie could prove to himself that he was safe and know that his brother trusted him implicitly at the same time he was determined to play it out. To that end he'd prepared before he'd left to collect Charlie, placing a locked box on the chair seat beside him. He reached down and unlocked it, pulling out his service firearm that David had delivered back to him just yesterday, a fact for which he was glad as this would work so much better with the actual gun involved rather than one of his others. As he brought the Glock above the table top he saw the fear bloom in Charlie's eyes but he didn't hesitate, putting the weapon down and sliding it across the table so it bumped his brother's fingers.

Charlie jerked back. "Don, what?"

"I trust you Charlie, I trust you with my life." He stated putting all the honest sincerity he could muster into his tone. He believed in what he was saying, but he had to make Charlie believe it too. He sat back, putting his hands in his lap making it impossible for him to reach his gun or defend himself. "It's loaded. Pick it up."

Charlie started to push his chair back. "Please Don, don't make me do this."

"Pick. It. Up." Don ordered firmly and saw his brother's hands jerk until they rested on the weapon but he still refused to take it up. "Now, Charlie."

Charlie reacted to the tone and obediently picked the gun up. Once it was in his hands he didn't immediately drop it but instead he handled it gingerly, running his fingers over the slide with his left hand as if familiarising himself with the weapon. His right hand slowly tightened on the grip as he gained confidence. Don waited, giving Charlie time to process his feelings and decide what he wanted to do. After a few long minutes Charlie looked up, looked across the table at him and stared deeply into his eyes. Don stared back openly without any protective mask in place and allowed Charlie to _see_ him, to read his feelings.

"You're not afraid."

"No, I'm not." Don nodded at the gun still in his brother's hands. "You could kill me right now and my team isn't here to stop you. But I know you won't. I trust you. You should trust yourself."

Charlie held the gun for a while longer as if testing himself. Finally he remembered his lessons on gun etiquette and dropped out the magazine before racking the slide back to eject the chambered round. While he had hoped his brother had been lying when he'd said the weapon was loaded he had just proven otherwise. All he'd needed to do was aim and pull the trigger if he'd really wanted his brother dead. Don really did trust him with his life. He gently laid the unloaded gun on the table in front of him, toying for a moment with the round that had been waiting in the chamber before sliding it into his pocket.

"A reminder." Charlie explained at his brother's raised eyebrow. Don was right, Charlie should trust himself. If ever he forgot that he had the bullet to remind him.

Don nodded in understanding before his face broke into a smile. "What say I order us some pizza and we watch the game?"

END

_**A/N:**__ Thank-you all for reading and reviewing. Your comments as always are much appreciated and keep me writing. Cheers!_


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